The Elf and the Digimon
by Lashana Inferno
Summary: Yes! It's finally here! The telling of how Blackwargreymon and Lashana first met! And of course, you know that a story of an Elf being thrown into the Digital World is going to be interesting. Especially when that Elf is Lashana. *COMPLETE*
1. Prologue : Nosy Guardians

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._

The Elf and the Digimon (Kinda like Beauty & The Beast except with more explosions)

Prologue

"Aw c'mon. Please?"

"No."

"_Pleaaaase?_"

"No."

"Pretty pretty please?"

"No!"

Drawn by the pleas and the answering growls, Blackwargreymon poked his head into the Kitchen and frowned at the sight of the bronze draconid that was following Lashana around as she made herself lunch. "Kadrith, why are you pestering my Bonded?"

"I want her to tell the Harem how you two met!"

"What? Why?"

"Why not?"

"I asked first."

"Well, mostly because everyone knows how everyone met and ended up here.... but we have no clue about the two of you, or Telca and Remy." 

"The Harem is too nosy for it's own good," Lashana muttered under her breath as she threw a slice of ham onto the slice of salami on her sandwich. "Why aren't you pestering Telca?"

Kadrith shrugged. "Already tried. She threatened to glue me to Xellos if I didn't leave her alone."

"'Rith, don't give Lashana any ideas," Black chuckled, shaking his head as he walked over to her and soothingly rubbed his cheek against the side of her head, purring softly as he used their link to brush his thoughts against hers. {My Bonded? Why don't you tell them?}

Surprise washed through the Bond as she rose her head to look at him. {You made me promise never to tell anyone, remember?}

{Well.... things have changed a lot in the past two years, don't you think?} He leaned closer to her as he mentally spoke, lightly kissing her cheek before inhaling a breath of her scent. {I'm not the 'mon I used to be.}

{True. You don't blow things up as much anymore.}

{I resent that.}

{Hehe.}

Kadrith rolled his eyes as he stared at them, recognising the signs that they were having a private conversation via the Bond. "Ahem." When they turned to look at him, he folded his arms over his chest and arched a brow-ridge. "Well?"

Blackwargreymon exchanged glances with Lashana before looking at the draconid again and sighing in defeat. "Gather the Harem."

"Yes!"

A little wary of the triumphant yell that 'Rith let out before he bolted from the Kitchen, Lashana hesitantly rose her gaze to that of the Digimon's. "Why do I have this growing sense of dread?"

He swallowed nervously. "It's coming from me."

"Ah."

Trying not to grin, he mock trembled in fear and whimpered as he glomped her. "Hold me!"

"Oh, for the flamin' love of...." She laughed and tried to push him away, yelping when he only held her tighter and nuzzled his face into her hair. "Get off me you crazy Digimon! Good lords, have you been into my chocolate stash again?"

"And if I have?"

"Live in fear."

"Ha! I fear you not, love."

"I know where you sleep."

"I should hope so! I'd hate to think that I've been letting someone else steal the blankets at night!"

"You'd better."

"Oh? Is that a bit of jealousy I hear, my Bonded?" Smiling, he pulled away a little and looked down at her warmly, raising a hand to lightly touch her cheek. "You know I'd never do anything like that."

"Hmpft."

"Oh, come on, where'd your sense of humor go?" Chuckling, he swept her into his arms and buried his muzzle against her neck, purring and playfully nipping at the point of her left ear until she laughed and swatted him away. "There! That's better! Shall we?"

"Wait, my sandwich." She twisted in his arms to grab her lunch and paused when she saw Wolverine polishing off the last bite of it. "Hey!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry darlin', the two o' ya were busy wit yerselves, so I just helped myself." He gave her one of his 'what are you gonna do about it' grins and sauntered out of the Kitchen, pulling a stogie from his back pocket as he did so. "It was really good too, darlin', thanks!"

Lashana groaned in reply and buried her face against Black's chest. "I must've done something very wrong in a past life to deserve this, like kicked a pharaoh in the arse or something."

"I'd be more worried of the stuff you've done in this life, instead of the past ones," Blackwargreymon said, looking down at her pointedly as he carried her out of the kitchen. "Or need I remind you about that trip to the Mall that Tvashtar told me about?"

"Oh Gods...."

~*~

By the time they reached the Game Room, the entire Harem had gathered there, the sight making Lashana wince a little in dread of what was to come as Black carried her over to one of the couches and sat down in the only free space there was, setting her so that she was sitting across his lap. It actually surprised her that the entire Harem had managed to comfortably fit into the room.

Kang was sitting next to them, with Kenshin next to him. Tvashtar and Kadrith had commandeered the other couch across from theirs and Telca - much to her delight - was nestled on Remy's lap where they sat in the Lazyboy chair that Mewtwo had teleported into the room. Mewtwo - who had been thrown out of his chair and was not pleased about it - was perched on the arm of the couch that the Guardians were on. Nightcrawler was hanging from the ceiling fan above the pool table, watching the ongoing game between Wolverine and Duncan as they waited for the story to start. Beast and Zelgadis were huddled over a small table while rapidly ingesting large amounts of coffee and Twinkies, the mutant having gotten the chimera hooked on the tasty pastries. Last but not least - Malcho was coiled up in the corner adjacent to where she and Blackie were sitting, her three dragons and Telca's cat nestled amongst the quetzacoatl's coils. Only Xellos was missing, and no one even gave him a second thought.

"So? Out with it," Tvashtar grinned, winking at his Avatar playfully. "Inquiring minds want to know."

"Nosy minds want to know, you mean," she retorted, snickering when he chuckled and shrugged.

"Same shit different pile," Telca smirked as she draped her arms around Remy's neck and snuggled closer. "'Sides, you never actually told _me_ what happened. I've been itchin' to know for almost three years now!"

"Three years?" Wolverine looked up from the game of pool, missing the corner pocket shot that Duncan sunk. "But we've only been together for two."

"Which means," Kadrith drawled mischievously. "That those two have been together longer than we thought!"

::I could have told you _that_,:: Korin telepathed from where he was preening his scales, comfortably perched on Malcho's outermost coil. ::After all, the three of us are telepathically linked to her, you know.::

~I told you never to hack into someone's thoughts!~ Mewtwo scowled, fixing the green dragon with a glare until the littling fidgeted and burrowed into Malcho's wings.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, amigo. Calmarse, the little one is shaking," Malcho chastised the pokemon, who winced when Lashana threw a coaster at his head. "Now, mi amiga, I believe you have some explaining to do, eh?"

Groaning at the expectant gazes that were now locked on her and Blackie, Lashana shifted a little so that she was comfortable, then sighed. "Alright. We'll start off with the usual, which means that Telca an I were once again studying spells - notice how we meet people by accident? Anyway, I dared her to open a portal into a Comic Book Shop cuz they had new Escaflowne DVDs out, and then I accidentally tripped and knocked her over, which made her lose full control of the portal. And, of course, Telca being who she is, she whacked me one. Unfortunately, it knocked me off my feet and - yes - into the portal...."


	2. This ain't no vacation spot!

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._

The Elf and the Digimon

Chapter 1 - This ain't no vacation spot

_I can't believe that she did it _**_again! _**Lashana grit her fangs together as she stomped through a forest and tried her best not to go ballistic. True, this time it seemed that it hadn't been Telca's fault, but still! Once again, that bedamned portal had sent her flying into a different world. Or, perhaps 'crashing' was a better term than 'flying'. Telca still hadn't fixed that little glitch that made the portals open fifty feet above the ground, or if she had, she hadn't bothered to give her the privilege of not slamming into the ground at a high speed_. This is probably punishment for stealing her X-Men Dvd..._

A sigh escaped her as she rose her gaze to the canopy high above her, squinting to try to see through the tangles of branches and leaves, hoping for a glimpse of the sun and blue sky. The forest she was in was impressively dense, so much so that only few beams of sunlight managed to sneak through the treetops, giving the area an eerie, ominous look. Shaking her head a little to calm her imagination before it had her in the throes of panic, the Elf returned her gaze to the ground ahead of her, and froze in place.

Someone... orsome_thing _had been here before her. Underbrush was trampled, trees sliced in half and carelessly knocked aside, making a large wide path through the otherwise impassable forest. _My Gods, what did this? _Curiosity overriding her common sense, she stepped out onto the packed earth and looked around for a moment before turning to face in the direction the destruction had had seemingly headed towards_. Not that I'm suicidal, but this path is a hell of a lot easier to walk on than trying to fight my way through those bushes again._

Her mind made up, Lashana broke out into a full run, glad to finally be going_ somewhere_ instead of being held up by trying to ease her way through the woods. _Still, _she thought to herself as she ran, relief rising in her when she saw an opening in up ahead_. I don't think I'd like to meet what did this. I may have gotten better at my magick, but there's no way I want to get into a fight with something that seems to have made deforestation it's favourite past-time._

She slowed to a stop five minutes later, breathing heavily as she looked out over a sparse meadow that dwindled down into a desert wasteland that seemed to spread out into eternity. _Lovely. Just.... lovely._ Cursing this world to the farthest reaches of the Universe, she stalked out into the hot sun and clambered up a small hill, hoping for a better vantage point. Sure enough, the extra height rewarded her with the sight of what seemed to be some sort of temple a little ways west of her, and she felt her heart skip a beat with wary hope when she saw a jeep head straight for it. _Yatta! Maybe I can get myself a little help!_

Hope giving her renewed strength, she skidded down the side of the hill and tore out over the sands, inwardly cursing everytime the loose soil gave way under her weight, nearly sending her crashing to the ground every two minutes or so. She was a mere twenty meters from the temple when a huge explosion sent her sprawling backwards, her new position giving her an unwanted view of the destruction as red energy tore and ripped at the temple, sending hot whirlwinds of dust and debris washing over her.

Any thoughts of trying to find someone who could help her vanished as she scrambled to her feet, rising her arms to protect herself from falling debris as she frantically put distance between herself and the temple, turning back in time to see it collapse onto itself. _Well frak._

A loud frustrated roar sent chills down her spine, and she rose her gaze to look at a black armoured form as it shot up through a cloud of settling debris and flew south, leaving the crumbling temple behind. _Okaaaay... that was..._

"Lookout!"

"Eh?" She spun at the yell and screamed as a Jeep ploughed over a sand dune, her breath leaving her lungs quicker than she could turn it into another scream as the vehicle tried to swerve to avoid her, only to lose traction in the sand and send her crashing onto it's hood.

She took the smug knowledge that she had greatly dented the car into the darkness of unconsciousness with her.

~*~

Light. Bright light. And stifling heat. Dry wind that almost stole the moisture from the air.

_Nuugh?_ Lashana groaned softly and cracked an eye open to look up at the rapidly passing clouds and the sun that beat down on her. The ground lurched beneath her then, and she grimaced as she came crashing down again, a part of her mind belatedly wondering why her hands tingled. Coherency demanded that she find out, so she forced her eyes fully open and took a look at herself, frowning in curiosity when she saw that they were tied together with what seemed to be old half-rotten bandages. _Ewwww! Gross! _The ground lurched again, and this time she yelped more in surprise than anything else when she realised that she was in the backseat of the Jeep that had hit her Lords only knew how long ago.

"Hey. The brat's awake."

_Eh?_ She looked towards the voice and fought down the urge to grimaced at the gnarled face that was looking at her in the rear-view mirror. The passenger in the front twisted around then, and the Elf quirked an eyebrow at the woman. "Dear Lords, what fashion statement were you trying to achieve, exactly? Because, yo, you missed by a mile and a half there, lady."

Getting a rather angry glare as a result - she could only guess she was getting glared at, those purple shades hid a lot. She had a feeling she should be grateful they were there. Anyway, back to the glare. As she was being glared at, she took a quick glance around her and smirked when she realised that it was a basic two door Jeep. Which meant...

"Well! Thanks for the ride and all, but this adventure into bondage with freaks just isn't working out. Ciao, babes!" Baring her fangs in a feral grin, she lashed out with her right foot and hit the release lever for the front passenger seat, yelling out as she threw her weight against the back of it, sending the woman crashing into the dashboard. Not wasting a moment, she did the same to the driver, then reached past the two dazed and cursing people to yank on the emergency brake, sending the Jeep into a wild spin by jerking the steering wheel to the right.

Laughing at the dashboard imprint on the woman's face, Lashana scrambled out of the back of the Jeep and bolted, looking down at the tight bindings around her wrists for a moment before straining at them, grinning when they snapped. _Ha! Gonna need something stronger than old band aids to counteract Elven strength!_ She spent a second rubbing feeling back into her hands as she ran, annoyed by the itchy red welts on her wrists caused by the restraints. 

A roar of an engine caught her attention then, and she frowned as she glanced behind herself to glare at the two idiots that were now hellbent on running her over. _Nuts._ Clenching her jaw, she poured on the speed, zigzagging to disorient them and laughing again when she skidded down the lee of a dune, leaving her pursuers to yelp in fright as their Jeep lost traction and nearly flipped over. "Learn to drive, baka!" she called, her smug grin fading when she saw the woman stand up on her seat and literally transform into some sort of mutated spider. 

Spiders. She _hated_ spiders. Of course, psychologists would say that her hatred stemmed from fear. She'd have told them they were right. Very right.

The sight she took in was more than enough to throw her into an adrenaline boosted panic, and she completely gave up trying to outsmart them as she scrambled to get as far away from these wackos as she could. _Spiders! Why does it always have to be spiders?!?!_ Her breath burned in her lungs as she pushed herself to her limits, spurred on by the sound of the Jeeps engine and the knowledge of what was crouched in that Jeep, just waiting for her to be in range. 

Her body took the fear signals her mind was sending it seriously, and almost without her realising it, flickers of fire began to dance at her fingertips, her magick rising to the occasion once again. _Alright. Lesse how you handle _**_this!_**Sneakers digging deep into the sands, she spun around and lobbed a full powered fireball right into the Jeep's grill, sending the hood flying off as the engine immediately caught fire, thick smoke billowing out and blinding the creepy driver.

Using their distraction to her advantage, she darted over a dune and was seconds away from pushing herself into another run when she skidded to a stop, inches away from the edge of a cliff. "Aw hellfire..." she growled in between gasps for breath, her white hair falling into her eyes as she searched for a way out of this, very aware of the spider-thing and the male that was heading towards her. No doubt they were not in the best of moods either. _Think... _**_Think!!_**

It was then that her Elven hearing picked up the faint sound of water over her thundering heartbeat, and Lashana frowned as she peeked over the edge of the cliff, staring at the raging river far below. _Oh, yeah. Nice choice. Psycho spider people or the River Wild. The Gods are laughing, I just know it...._

"You'll regret doing that!" The male growled from behind her, drawing her gaze as he transformed into a very real mummy.

Lashana's eyes widened. _River Wild it is then._ Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she took one step back from the duo, then spun and swan-dived off the edge, feeling her stomach lurch as she stared at the rapidly approaching water. Fire crackled at her fingertips again as she threw another fireball at the river, a smirk spreading over her lips as the explosion sent huge waves of water rising up to meet her. _Always wanted to try ice skating..._

Eyes narrowing in concentration, she aimed both palms downward and pulled on her magick. "_Ly Briem!_" Frigid air erupted from her hands, hitting the high waves below her at full force, the spell freezing everything solid. She hit the improvised slide feet first, loosing a wild yell of joy as she cracked off a piece of ice and used it as a snowboard, shooting down the ramp and over the frozen river. "Yaaahoooo!! See ya suckers!! Hahaha!!"

Ignoring the yells of outrage from above her, she launched another ice spell at the water ahead, grinning when it extended her little ride by another fifty meters. _Don't suppose this river comes with an exit ramp... hmm... Aha! Level ground ahead!_ A small beach appeared to her left, and she bit her bottom lip nervously as she leaned towards it, yelping when her 'board' ploughed into the sand and sent her sprawling face first into the dirt. "Gah! I don't understand how athletes make that look easy... ugh..."

Groaning, she got to her feet and spent a moment shaking sand out of her hair before studying her new surroundings. "Holy Goddess, this place is really fubared," she murmured under her breath as she looked at yet another forest that lay a little ways ahead of her. Granted, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious, and she could only thank her lucky stars that nothing seemed to be broken. Shaking her head a little to finish getting the sand out, she hooked her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans and headed into the forest, a part of her rejoicing that she was once again in the woodlands. _At the very least, I can get out of this sun. Maybe I can find some aloe to put on my wrists..._

Unfortunately for her, since she hadn't bothered to look back the way she had fallen, she completely missed seeing a black form stand tall at the edge of the cliffs for a moment before hopping off and slowly flying down to land on the sandy riverbank, pausing briefly before following her.

~*~

"Ahhh! This is much better!" Lashana grinned as she reclined under a large willow-like tree, raising her arms to lace her fingers behind her head as she closed her eyes and revelled in the breeze that played with her unbound hair. _Well, other than those two wackos, this seems to be a pretty relaxing place._ A beam of sunlight snuck through the canopy above her, warming her face as the long leafy branches of the tree rustled in the winds, adding to the peaceful ambience. It was so relaxing that she was actually well on her way to falling asleep when her hearing picked up the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her location.

Inwardly cursing whatever it was that was interrupting her alone-time, she lithely rose to her feet and climbed into the tree, taking refuge high up so that she was almost completely hidden by the gnarled trunk and swaying leaves. The height gave her a lovely vantage point, allowing her to watch as a dark shadow moved through the forest, pausing only to knock a tree out of it's path. _Aha. Mr. Deforestation, I presume. _She crouched low and relied on her Elven instincts to keep herself hidden, her breathing slowing and softening until it was almost impossible to detect as her hearing told her exactly where the being was. _Hmm, metal? So he's armed. And it's definitely male judging by the sound of his breathing and that low growling. Too deep a sound for a female to make..._

"I know you're there."

Wincing at the call - her hearing was really too sensitive at times - she silently moved closer to the trunk of the tree, starting to pull power to herself as she pitched her voice so that it would be carried by the winds, hiding her true location. "Well good for you. What do you want?" The male stepped into the open then, and she stifled a gasp at the sight of him.

A little over eight feet tall, the male that looked like a humanoid dinosaur stood nearly right below her position, black and silver armour glinting dully in the light, as if it was absorbing it instead of reflecting it. Gauntlets with wicked-looking triple blades protected his arms and hands, and she let her gaze travel over the chest and shoulder armour, belatedly noticing the leg and crotch guards before she focused on his face, frowning when she saw that it was hidden under a horned helmet. Harsh golden eyes searched the landscape, and she was glad that her trick of letting the winds carry her voice had worked, she was certain that he wasn't there for a social call. _Man oh man, what have I gotten myself into?_

"How did you defeat Arukenimon and Mummymon?"

_Who? He must mean those two idiots._ "Intelligence," she said simply, smirking when she heard the wind distort her voice, making sound like it came from all around them.

"Don't play games with me!"

"Oh? I answered truthfully. Would you rather I lie?"

A growl rose above the whisper of the wind as he darted his gaze around the small clearing. "Where are you?"

Her chuckle echoed around him. "As if I'm going to tell you that. Do you think me daft?"

"Bah. Coward."

"Quite the opposite actually," she smirked as she leaned back against the trunk and folded her arms over her chest, staring down at him as he tried to locate her by listening to her voice. Grinning, she lowered her tone to a whisper. "That won't work." The three words echoed all around them, making it sound like she was in every tree, behind every bush, over and over until his patience was visibly cracking. "Temper, temper. You've destroyed enough trees for one day. Now, you answer my question. Why did you follow me?"

"What makes you think I followed you?"

"You saw me with those two idiots. I doubt that you just happened to be coming this way. It was you that destroyed that temple, wasn't it? Damn near got me killed."

"You survived."

A single fang protruded from between her lips as she fought to keep from chuckling. "Always." He fell silent for a moment, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath. She nearly leapt out of her skin when he growled and turned to look right up at her. Hiding her shock, she smirked and dropped her arms to hook her thumbs into her front pockets. "Heyla."

A look of disgust flitted through his eyes. "A human? Hmpft. Worthless."

Lashana blinked as he turned away from her and headed away from the tree, then growled under her breath. "Worthless? _Human?!_" Another growl left her, insults strung along with it as she slammed a fist against the tree. "Kisama...." Anger flooded through her, and she bared her fangs as she rose her voice. "I'm no more human than you are, you great brainless barbarian! If I wasn't in the middle of a forest I'd launch a fireball up that armour of yours! Bastard!" 

Her temper now in full control, she somersaulted out of the tree and landed in a crouch, hands already making arcane gestures in the air. "_Wind which blows across eternity! Gather in my hands and become my strength!_"

Alerted by her voice, he half-turned to look over at her, eyes widening in surprise when he saw a bluish sparkles gathering around her, a rising wind lifting her hair from her shoulders. _Perhaps this will be a challenge after all..._

"Eat this! _Bram Gush..._" The wind that had coalesced around her melded into a single beam of deadly wind, and she bared her fangs in a snarl as she launched it at him, watching as the spell tore up the ground as it covered the distance between them. "_Break!_" A single gesture broke the attack into numerous separate arrows that circled around him once before slamming into him from all sides, the explosion sending clouds of dirt into the air. _And now to leave him another little surprise..._

Even before the dirt had finished falling, she rose her right hand and pointed ahead of her. "_Mega Brando!_" A single snap of her fingers and the earth in front of her erupted with the force of a high level earthquake, making a ten foot deep crater in the ground as more dirt and debris shot into the air. 

"Hmpft. Baka," she muttered under her breath as she turned and stalked away from the battlefield, struggling to calm herself. If it was one thing she hated to be reminded of, it was the fact that she was half-human. As far as she was concerned, humans as a whole were a people fated for self-destruction. The way they were polluting the world... Clenching her eyes shut, she took a deep breath and held it for a moment, letting it out in a heavy sigh afterwards, letting her anger flow away with it. _No use working myself up over this. It's not like it's something that I have any control over._

Now relatively calm, she opened her eyes and reached up to tuck her hair behind her pointed ears before she brushed dirt off of her arms. _Time to find another spot to relax in. With shade. Tank-tops and the desert don't mix, I've got the workings of a sunburn here._...

"_Terra Destroyer!_"

"What in the.. ACK! _Defence!!_" The sphere of red energy hit her hastily risen shield full-on, and she yelped as it's sheer strength sent her sprawling, leaving her to tumble to the ground a good five meters away from where she had previously been standing. Rising a hand to the back of her head to rub at the bump she now had, she rose her gaze to the form in front of her and scowled. "What? Come back to insult me some more? Why can't you just leave me alone already?!"

Unfortunately, it didn't seem that he was in the mood to chat, and her eyes widened when she saw him charging right at her, the blades of one gauntlet aimed right at her head. Loosing another yelp, she frantically rolled to the side, feeling one of those blades graze her leg as she scrambled out of the way, leaving the gauntlet to embed itself into the tree she had been in front of. _Sweet holy mother! What have I gotten myself into?!_ Frowning, she glanced down at her jeans and sighed at the cut she now had on them, just above her right knee. "Dammit. I just bought these."

"Ow! Watch it!"

_Ow?_ Knowing that it wasn't her assailant's voice that had spoken, she looked towards the source of it and froze in place, a squeak that really should have been a scream escaping her when the tree that still held the blades in it's bark _moved_, annoyed dark yellow on black eyes opening to glare at her attacker as he yanked his gauntlet free. _That's it. I've lost it. I'm seeing talking trees._ Being careful not to make any sound, she slowly started backing away, freezing again when both the tree and her attacked looked over at her.

"So! Fighting humans now, Blackwargreymon?" The tree gave her attacker a condescending look. "You must have lowered your standards a lot if you're going after huma.... no wait...."

Lashana swallowed thickly as those eyes fixed on her again and resisted the urge to either run or start lobbing fireballs as the tree studied her intently. Finally, when it had gone on longer than her patience allowed, she bared her fangs and planted her fists on her hips. "Take a picture why dontcha? It'll last longer."

"I'll be. A fae! Here? In the Digiworld?"

"Where?" Her flat tone easily conveyed the fact that she had no clue what he was talking about.

"This is the Digital World. Surely you know that."

Rolling her eyes, she put all of her weight on her right leg and folded her arms over her chest. "Look, bub. I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I just got pulled into one of my friend's portals and dumped here. And trust me. So far, this place is waaay down on my list of places to visit again in my lifetime. Especially since psycho stalker over there won't leave me the hell alone!"

"_You're_ the one who attacked _me._" 'Blackwargreymon' growled.

"You insulted me!" She shot back, eyes narrowed. "What tha frak did ya think Ah was gonna do? Invite ya over fer milk an cookies?!" Her voice regained her lilting Elven accent as her irritation grew, something that only happened when she was either very tired or very angry. She saw the tree move slightly then, and her eyes widened as it raised one arm over Blackwargreymon, fully intending to bash the distracted male over the head. _I can't believe I'm doing this!_

Reacting quickly, she rose her right arm and pointed. "_Ly Briem!_"

Blackwargreymon snarled as he saw the attack leave her hand and rose his gauntlets to defend himself, blinking in surprise when the blast went right past him, impacting with the Digimon behind him. Curious, he sent a quick glance over his shoulder, eyes widening when he saw that the Cherrymon had been frozen solid - and that the Digimon had been well on the way to possibly knocking him cold - one of it's branches a mere ten inches from his head. _Why did she...?_

Frowning in incomprehension, he turned back to her, rumbling when he only saw empty space.


	3. First Interruption

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._

DigiDayDreamer - Haaai! This will be completely finished. Actually, I'm well on my way to finishing the last chapter! ^_^ 

Aidan - I wholeheartedly agree! Blackie-kun is _extremely_ cute! *hehe* As for the temple thing... If you're familiar with Black, then you've seen his arc in Digimon, yes? Remember the time Blackie pulverized that Destiny Stone and Azulongmon first appeared? That building thing kinda reminded me of a temple. *shrugs* 

********************   
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 2 : First Interruption   
  


"_Whaaaat?!_" 

Telca's shriek made Lashana yelp in surprise, the Elf instinctively glomping her Bonded before realising that not only did she look stupid, but that she wasn't in too much danger.... yet. 

"He attacked you and you _saved_ him?! Are you insane?!" 

The Elf rolled her eyes. "Hello? Pot? This is the kettle returning your call." 

Malcho grunted and folded his wings over his chest in a very human gesture as he levelled his gaze towards Black, the expression in his eyes clearly showing that he was struggling to stay calm. "Gringo, you had better have a good explanation." 

"I never said we met on good terms!" The Digimon protested, glancing away guiltily. "Besides, she didn't exactly find me during the most stable of times...." He trailed off then glared at Lashana. "And you never told me that those two idiots hit you!" 

"It wasn't that important." 

"They hit you with a _Jeep!_ It damn well is important!" 

Lashana rolled her eyes and lightly placed her index finger over her Bonded's lips. "Black, love, don't yell at me, else I'll have Kadrith duct tape your muzzle shut." 

The Digimon frowned and glanced from her to the draconid, who grinned toothily and held up the roll of silver tape. "I'll be good." 

"Hmpft. I still say you're nuts, Elfy," Wolverine muttered crossly as he bit down on his stogie, fangs cutting into it. "An yer damn lucky she wasn't hurt, Blackie. Else you an I would have to have words." 

Tvashtar exchanged glances with Kang before looking at the now seriously nervous Elf again. "Tell me you didn't." 

"Eh?" Malcho glanced over at them and frowned. "Didn't what?" 

Kang rumbled softly under his breath. "Fight." 

"Really? Kewl! Who won?" When all he got in response was a bunch of glares, Nightcrawler pouted and glanced away. "I just wanted to know." 

~You didn't,~ Mewtwo whispered in shock as he looked at the embarrassed Bonded pair. ~Tell me you two didn't fight.~ 

"Oh, we fought alright," Lashana smirked, patting her Bonded's arm reassuringly when he tightened his hold on her. "And we went all out. Now, would you all like to stop interrupting, or shall I sic Kadrith on you all?" 

"I resent the implications of that!" the bronze draconid growled, glaring at his brother when the other Guardian laughed. 

"You brought this upon yourself," Tvashtar chuckled, teasingly whacking his brother in the ribs with his tail. 

"Right. So, after freezing psycho tree, I took off before Black here could stop me an..." 


	4. Battle Royal

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
  
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 3 : Battle Royal   
  


_This place is insane! Talking trees, psycho ginsu knife stalkers, spiders who ride in Jeeps! I must be dreaming! I must be..._ She pinched herself as she ran, wincing at the pain that followed. _Ow! Okay. I'm not dreaming._ Shaking her arm a little to try to get it to stop hurting, she ducked under a low branch, then hopped over a bush, never breaking stride as she put distance between herself and the two she had left behind. 

She burst out of the forest and into a small clearing nearly half an hour later, and she skidded to a stop as she dropped to her knees and slammed her palms against the ground, gasping for breath. Still fighting for air, she rose a hand and shoved her bangs out of her eyes, glancing around her to make sure she was alone before she straightened, sitting back on her legs as she rose her gaze to the bright sky above her. _Telca... hurry up and get me out of here. Please!_

A footstep behind her made her heart leap into her throat, and she instinctively leapt forward, turning in mid-air to land facing a very familiar form. Now considerably _not_ happy, she levelled a glare at him and growled. "What part of 'leave me alone' don't you comprehend?" 

He frowned at her as he studied her, noticing the cut in her jeans and the slight smell of blood, the result of his previous attack. "You helped me. Why?" 

"....it's my nature." 

"Explain." 

Sighing in annoyance, she folded her arms over her chest and frowned. "I'm an Elf... well, half-elf if you want to get technical. Elves protect. Both the forests and the people in them. At the time that happened to include you. Besides, that - whatever he was - was using me to distract you long enough so he could whack you one. It ticked me off, so I flash-froze him." She quirked a white eyebrow at him and smirked. "Now, what exactly do I have to do to get you to leave me the hell alone?" 

"Fight me." 

She blinked. "....excuse me?" 

"You heard me." 

"Now I know you're daft." 

"You _will _fight me. I've been looking for a worthy opponent, someone that can stand against my power. No one has yet present a challenge as you have." 

"Compliments will get you nowhere." 

Blackwargreymon growled at her casual tone and rose a gauntlet to point at her. "I will hunt you to the ends of the Digiworld until you grant my request. You know this." 

_Lovely._ "Well, since you asked _so_ nicely, fine. But!" She met his gaze when he started to lunge forward. "Not here." 

"What?" 

"Weren't you listening before? I can't fight here, we're in the middle of a forest! Remember that whole 'protect the forests' thing?" An idea occurred to her, and she smiled slightly as she continued, knowing that she had him. "You won't get a full challenge if I'm holding back, now will you?" 

_How exactly, did she turn the tables on me?_ Reluctantly, he gave her an agreeing nod. "So be it. Three hours hike west from here is a desert wasteland. Is that sufficient?" 

"Unfortunately, yes." 

"Good." He turned to leave, then paused and shot a glare at her. "And don't try running again. I'll be watching." 

"Glad to know I have my own private psycho stalker," she muttered sourly as she dropped her arms and spun to stalk back into the forest, hands clenched at her sides as she ranted, needing to vent. "You'd think that one of Telca's portals could send me somewhere relaxing. Like Hawaii. But _nooOOOooo_. I get stuck with the talking foliage and the spiders and bandage people and armoured wackos that want to kill me! Argh! _I need a vacation!_" 

~*~ 

Three hours of hiking and fighting her way through dense underbrush did absolutely nothing to help her sour mood. In fact, by the time she reached the wasteland, she was actually looking forward to the fight - she desperately needed to fireball something, and here was a willing target, just waiting for her. 

"Alright! Can we get this the hell over with already?!" Lashana yelled at the Digimon that was watching her from his perch on a tall boulder as she stomped out into the open, sneakers making little sound on the hard packed rocky ground. 

He looked at her in slight surprise. "You'd hurry to your own death?" 

A rather berserker grin spread over her lips, revealing her fangs. "I could ask the same of you." _What_ _am I **doing?! **Don't piss off the big psycho you idiot!_ Still, a part of her felt smug when she heard his angry growl, her gaze locking with his as he leapt off the boulder and landed only two meters away from her. 

Neither moved for the longest time, each trying to stare the other down. Or more accurately, Blackwargreymon tried to stare her down. It wasn't working. She just returned his gaze calmly, as if she was growing bored with the whole scenario. The sight made his anger grow, and he snarled as he made the first move, lunging towards her with blades at the ready. 

_Three... two... one... Now!_ Lashana dropped to her knees as he neared her and slapped her palms against the ground. "_Earth below me! Submit to my will! Dug Haut!_" Spires of stone ripped through the ground, making a barrier between them, and she smirked as she hopped onto one of the rising towers, letting it carry her into the air as she readied another spell. Two spires fell in front of her, cut in half, and she smirked as she looked down at Blackwargreymon for a moment before whistling. "Up here! _Mono Volt!_" 

He spun at the teasing call and barely managed to deflect the shot of lightning with a gauntlet, growling as he lowered it to glare up at her. "You'll have to do better than that if you want to stop me!" Moving with speed that had caught many an opponent off-guard, he flew straight at her, smirking when he saw her eyes widen in shock. "This fight is_ over!_" 

"Not by a longshot!" She yelled as she threw herself out of the way, making a sweeping gesture in his direction. "_Val Flare!_" 

It felt like he had been hit at close range with one of his own attacks. The explosions hit him full force right in the chest, and he instinctively backed away from her, lowering a hand to touch the crack in his armour. She landed badly then, stumbling slightly, and he immediately took advantage of it, charging her and ramming into her, slashing at her with both gauntlets. 

_Fast..._ Lashana felt adrenaline flow through her as she frantically tried to dodge the inhumanly fast blows, crying out when he scored two deep gashes, one on her left thigh and the other on her right shoulder. Panicking, she rose her hands and yelled out the first spell that came to mind, closing her eyes as the ground exploded all around her, little slivers of stone cutting into her arms and face. 

When the dust cleared, she saw that she was standing on a thin pillar of stone that stood in the middle of a deep crater, and that Blackwargreymon was standing a little ways to her left, breathing heavily. _I need a plan here. He's more experienced than I am... _Gritting her fangs, she tilted her head back a little and let the wind play with her hair, her voice echoing slightly as she spoke. "_Winds of the frozen north, come to me! Bring the snows and ice of thy home, and let those who stand before me witness your frigid wrath! Howl Freeze!_" 

The Digimon grunted softly as he watched her, wondering what she was up to. _Another attack probably, but in what form?_ His answer came with the winds, and he rose an arm to shield his eyes as he was enveloped in the most powerful blizzard he had ever seen, his armour immediately turning ice cold against his skin. He felt his fingers going numb with cold and frowned as he pulled energy to himself, gathering it between his hands, the heat of it deflecting the worst of the storm as he rose his arms. "_Terra Destroyer!_" 

"_Freeze Brid!_" 

A glittering blue ball of ice flew right into the heart of his attack, and his eyes widened when in surprise when the red sphere pulsed once before freezing solid, crashing into a million shards when gravity took hold and pulled it down to earth. _Impossible! How did she do that?!_ Frowning, he rose his gaze to stare over at his opponent, seeing the triumphant smirk on her face as she gasped for breath. _I've been in more battles than her. I'm a Mega! There's no way she can last much longer!_ "You can't hope to win." 

"Sure I can. Cracked yer outfit, didn't I?" she said, grinning ferally. "'Sides, I've still got a few more dozen spells that you haven't seen, yet." 

The condescending glint in her eyes sent a wave of rage through him, and he loosed a roar as he attacked, dodging three balls of fire before slamming into her again. "They can't stop me!" _Her strength lies in her attacks, not in her body._

Lashana tasted blood as he rammed her against one of the stone spires and barely managed to move her head to the side before those blades sunk themselves into the stone, nicking the point of her ear. As he pulled back his left gauntlet, intent on finishing this fight once and for all, she punched him in the face, then grabbed his momentarily trapped right arm and swung herself up and around, lashing out with both feet to score a solid hit just above his elbow. 

A howl of pain escaped him as white-hot agony lashed through his right arm, and he spun to backhand her away with his left gauntlet, sending her flying through the air to land heavily onto the ground ten meters away. Growling, he looked down at his right arm and tenderly probed the aching joint with his good hand, then moved a little higher, scowling when he discovered that his arm was broken. 

Dazed from the hit, the Elf spent a good minute trying to convince her body that it absolutely had to get up, despite it's protests against her treatment of it. Slowly, rubbing at the stinging cut on her right cheek, she staggered to her feet and looked over at her attacker, frowning when she saw that he was favouring his right arm. _Looks like I got him good. Could be broken... but if I had held back... _"We don't have to continue this," she said softly, surprised at the sympathy that was rising in her. 

"Save your pity," he spat, glaring at her venomously as he charged again. "I have no use for it!" 

"It's not pity!" Electricity flickered at her fingertips as she threw up her right arm, loosing a web of lightning at him and frowning when he effortlessly used his good arm to swat it aside. _My Gods, we're going to end up killing each other._ The thought was only halfway through her mind when he suddenly loomed over her, and she felt her ribs crack when he lashed out and viciously kicked her, following it up with a powerful backhand, knocking her backwards against the boulder he had been standing on at the start of all this. 

"You're the first one who managed to hurt me. Take comfort in that, half-breed," Blackwargreymon snarled as he threw a full power Terra Destroyer right at her, the explosion shattering the ground and stone, burying her. Favouring his aching arm, he turned and headed back to the forest, intent on finding a quiet place where he could patch himself up in peace and reflect on the first fight that had actually forced him to push himself close to his limits. 

Unfortunately for him, he had stumbled upon a timebomb that had been waiting to go off for all of twenty years, and he had just lit the fuse. 

"_FIREBALL!!_" 

Eyes wide, he spun and stared at the explosion, backing away a step when he saw a glowing form stalk out of the cloud of dust, the light coming from the aura of pure power that now enveloped the female in front of him. Her hands were fisted at her sides, the blood that was seeping out between her fingers proof that her nails had pierced her palms as her entire body trembled in reaction to the rage that was building within her. All in all, he was glad that her bangs were hiding her eyes at the moment, he had a feeling that had their gazes met, she'd have been able to kill him with a single glare. 

"Half-breed? _Half-breed?!_" Lashana barely recognised her own voice, the rage that it held distorting it into something that echoed with immense power and anger. A part of her screamed at her to regain control, to stop this before she did something she'd regret, but it was quickly silenced by the memories that were rising in her. 

Glimpses of her past where she had been alienated, loathed and feared by the people around her flashed through her mind, times when she had been forced to fight just to survive, just to have a bit of peace. Children laughing at her, adults looking at her in disgust... rocks thrown, blows, kicks, slaps... pain, fear, loneliness, sadness... _agony_... 

Blackwargreymon felt something in him weaken at the sight of the tears that now streamed down her face, and as she rose her head to glare at him, he belatedly wondered if she was even aware that she was crying. _Such pain... perhaps... akin to my own?_

"You wanted a fight?!" She yelled, aura flaring as she rose her hands, revealing the half-moon shaped cuts in her palms. "Fine! _You've got one!_" Closing her eyes, she rose her head to the Heavens and pulled on her power. "_Lord of Darkness of the Four Worlds! I call to thee! Grant me all the power you possess!_" The spell lashed through her then, mingling with her anger as it rose her energy level to such a point that it felt like her very blood was on fire. Drugged, she spread her arms wide and rose her voice again, the rising wind lashing at her. "_Darkness beyond twilight. Crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the flow of time. In thy great name, I pledge myself to Darkness! Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!_" 

Heart thundering in reaction to the power that was gathering before him, Blackwargreymon pushed the pain in his arm aside and rose his gauntlets, readying himself for the attack he knew was coming. On an instinctual level, he knew that whatever was coming his way was equal to, or perhaps greater, than any of his attacks, and a small part of him hoped that he'd survive, surprising the part of him that welcomed death. 

Breathing heavily as she tried to control the magick swirling around her, Lashana gathered the energy into her hands and formed it into a sphere, staring into it's blood red light for a moment before she rose her gaze to the Digimon and threw her hands forward, loosing the spell. "_DRAGON SLAVE!_" 

_Oh Goddramon..._ The huge beam sliced through the ground as he took to the sky, seeking to try to outmanoeuvre the attack, only to growl softly when he saw it change course to follow him, it's light filling his entire vision. Instinct took hold, and he frantically gathered every ounce of his energy to himself, flying backwards to try to give himself more time to strengthen what could be his last attack... "**_TERRA DESTROYER!!_**" 

The explosion that followed rocked the very world to it's core. The air became superheated as the ground cracked and split, chucks of it disintegrating into nothing. It was well over ten minutes later when the first beam of sunlight broke through the thick cloud of dust and debris that had blanketed the battlefield, the warm beam falling on the Elf that had crumpled to the ground, her hands covering her face as she cried, her rage having left her as quickly as it had come. 

A footfall made her raise her head from her hands, staring up at the Digimon that stood over her though her tears. His armour and helmet were cracked, one gauntlet nearly shattered, the shield that had been strapped to his back in shambles. She didn't move. Even if she hadn't been completely exhausted from the battle, she simply couldn't bring herself to fight him anymore. 

Though it seemed the Fates were with her this day. Despite the fact that Blackwargreymon didn't break gazes with her, he slumped to his knees in the dirt, staring at her a moment longer before collapsing onto his back next to her, his chest heaving with his gasps for breath. 

They both lay there for what seemed to be an eternity, and it was only when Lashana was certain that she had regained a semblance of control over her turmoiled emotions that she spoke, her voice a ragged whisper of sheer exhaustion. "I'm sorry." 

"What, you think this fight is over? Just wait, when I get up, I'm going to finish what I started." 

She turned her head and blinked at him before chuckling softly, resting a hand on her ribs when they protested. 

"You think that's funny?" 

"You can't even move! What are you doing to do, glare me to death?" 

He looked at her, holding her amused gaze for a moment, then chuckled. 

"Aha. The mighty warrior has a sense of humour. Very good, there's hope for you yet," she teased gently as she moved arms that felt like they were weighed down with lead, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "Oooh, my aching everything.... What the hell is that armour _made_ of anyway?! I think I broke my hand on your face! Damn." She rose her good hand to work at the crick in her neck and grimaced when she saw a cloud of dust on the horizon. "Aw no... not now...." 

"What?" When he didn't get an answer, he grunted and rose himself on his good elbow, looking past her and following her gaze to the Jeep that was heading their way. "I am so sick of those two. Wait, what are you doing?" 

"Standing... I think," she muttered between clenched teeth as she pushed herself to her feet, staggering with exhaustion as she held out her right hand, narrowing her eyes. "Not gonna let those two try to run me over with that damned Jeep of theirs again... ugh... medic..." 

He growled when she dropped down onto one knee, a grimace of pain appearing on her face. _Of all the bad timing. The way I am now, I can barely manage another Terra Destroyer._ A hiss of pain drew his attention back to the female, and he frowned as he watched her raise her hands, sparkles of energy forming at her fingertips. 

_One last spell. Better make it count._ Shifting slightly, she dug the toe of her left sneaker into the dirt, trying to brace herself for the backlash of the spell. _Closer, closer.... There!_ "_Bomb di Wind!_" The air in front of her erupted, the gale force winds knocking her over as they rushed towards the oncoming Jeep, and she smirked as she watched the spell pick up the car and throw it, the vehicle arching across the sky before landing almost a mile away. "I think I love that spell." 

"We can't stay here," he told her after a few minutes of watching the horizon to make sure there weren't any more unwanted surprises. 

"I don't think I can move right now. That last spell drained me. 'Sides, I'm frighteningly comfortable." 

"Night's coming. Neither of us is in any shape to defend ourselves from anything that poses a real threat." 

"Nuuugh." 

"What was that?" 

"My body's opinion of the idea of trying to move." 

"Digitamamon's hotel is nearby." 

"A hotel? Here? Did one of those fireballs hit you in the head?" 

"That's not funny." 

"I should hope not. I was serious. And what's with this 'we' thing?" 

"You think either of us can make it somewhere safe on our own?" 

"Point." 

"Besides, I.... I have questions." 

"Alright, alright." She grimaced and slowly pushed herself up so that she was in something resembling a sitting position, sighing as she looked over at him where he lay beside her. "I take it we have a truce?" 

"....yes." 

"Good." Groaning, she once again staggered to her feet, clutching at her ribs with her aching left hand as she tried to convince herself that it really would not be a good idea if she passed out. After taking a quick look around, she turned and held out her good hand to him, seeing his eyes widen at the gesture before he hesitantly reached up with his good arm and grasped her hand. She didn't even blink when she realised that his hand was almost twice the size of hers, instead, she dug her heels into the ground and somehow managed to haul him to his feet, gasping in pain as she did so. "Hotel. Where?" 

Blackwargreymon looked down at her, then pointed back to the forest. "Half an hours walk." 

"Nuuugh."   
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Second Interruption

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 4 : Second Interruption   
  
  


Silence. Then.... 

"She kicked yer ass?! Really?! Ha! Go darlin'!" 

"Thank you, thank you." 

"Ja! I would have liked to see that fight!" 

"Damn, Lashana, remind me never to make you mad at me." 

"Then stay away from my stash of chocolate, Duncan." 

"And you pissed her off too? Geez, Blackie, you're lucky she didn't fry off your cujones. I would have." 

"That's because you've got a sick sense of revenge, Telca." 

"So? What's the matter with that?" 

Malcho shivered. "Many, many things, muchacha." 

"Funsuckers, the whole lot of you. Well, except for my Remy of course." 

~Bleh.~ 

"Shaddup, Purple." 

Tvashtar chuckled and reached out to nudge his kelestra in the ribs with his tail. "So, you two beat each other senseless and then go to a hotel?" He grinning at her teasingly and rose his eyeridges in a suggestive manner. "Really, little sister, I thought you'd at least wait for a second date." 

"Bro, don't be such a pervert. And Telca, stop laughing!" 

"Why? It's funny!" 

"Hmpft." 

Trying to keep himself from blushing, Blackwargreymon held Lashana a little tighter and laced his fingers, resting his hands on her hip. "It wasn't that way at all. We were dead on our feet. Besides, it was the only safe haven nearby that I could think of." 

"Show's where your mind was." 

"Kang, shut up."   
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Waking Friendship

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
__

Aidan - Heyla! Chapter five is.... right now! *hehe* As for Telca and I, are we insane? Yes. Am I half-elf? In spirit, Yes. And many thanks for the high praise concerning this story! ^_^ 

Tempest - It's coming, don't worry ^_~ 

Sparda219 - No Digidestined in this fic, sorry. Though that _does_ give me an idea for a later story... hmm.... 

T-Rex - Delusional, you are. Beat Blackwargreymon, you cannot. Beat my Bonded, you _will not_. *gurgled cackle* Another path, you should choose. Harm him, you do... the Darkside, I shall turn to. Much whoop-ass, will occur. Wise it would be, for you to reconsider these actions. No fanfics can be written, if in jail I am. 

Blackie: *smirk* Sense much anger, I do. The Darkside, it will lead to. Demented, my Bonded is. In grave danger, you will be. Avoid this path, you must.   
  
*hehe*   


_Yes, there will be fluff in this fic. I like fluff. It's all nice and... well... fluffy! ^_^_

*********************************************   
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 5 : Waking Friendship   
  
  
  


All in all, if they had been exhausted when they started out for the famed hotel, they were dead on their feet by the time they reached it and Blackwargreymon inwardly grimaced when he thought of how many times the female had been forced to help him keep walking, though, he had returned the favor as many times as she had granted it. But still, it was... annoying. Twice he had heard her muttering to herself about how she was going to get back at someone called 'Telca' for sending her to the Digiworld by stealing whatever 'X-Men Comics' happened to be. 

He noticed too, that the longer she pushed herself to keep going, the worse her mood became, so her attitude when they finally reached the hotel wasn't too much of a surprise. At least not to him. The Digimon that was behind the reception desk however had no clue what hit him. Especially when Digitamamon refused to accept her money. Something about not accepting currency from the Real World. 

"Listen you walking freakshow!" Lashana snarled at what seemed to be an egg with legs and eyes as she reached over the desk and sunk her nails into it's shell, lifting it off it's feet as she dragged it close and shook it violently. "I have been wandering around this messed up world all damned day! I've been hit by a Jeep, kidnapped, I've had to jump off a cliff, I've been attacked Goddess only knows how many times and I'm just getting over an emotional breakdown!! I am hungry, tired, filthy, and I hurt in places I didn't know I had! Now you are going to give me your best room with all the fixings or by any and all the Gods that you hold dear, _you are not going to like what I'm going to do to you!!!_" 

The Digimon gulped, his voice trembling from fear and from being shaken. "I-I o-only have o-one r-room left-t!! R-Royal S-sui-t-te!!" 

"_We'll take it!!_" 

~*~ 

"I think I'm going to die," Lashana muttered as she unlocked the hotel room door and shuffled inside, dropping the key on a table as she went and collapsed on the first thing that looked comfortable, mainly a couch. If she had bothered to look around, she'd have seen that the 'Royal Suite' was actually bigger than her one room apartment, with a huge bathroom, a king-sized bed - that she had just walked past - the full sized couch she was on and another chair with a desk. Unfortunately, she was too busy lying face down on the couch to notice. 

An answering groan sounded from somewhere to her left, and she rose her head just enough to be able to look over at the Mega Digimon as he flopped down onto the bed, the sight making her curse before she let herself go limp, dropping her face back down into the cushions. 

Blackwargreymon winced at the pain in his chest and groaned again as he rolled onto his back, reaching up with his good hand to remove the gauntlet from his aching left arm, dropping it to the floor before loosening the ties to his chest armor, relaxing the pressure against his ribs. "Elf? Are you alright?" 

"Mpft... Lashana." 

He tilted his head back and looked at her upside-down, not having understood the garbled mumble. "What?" 

"Mah name. Lashana." 

"Lashana. Are you alright?" 

Grimacing, she turned her head so she wasn't suffocating herself with the cushions and sighed. "I'm alive, that's all you're getting right now." She cracked an eye open to look at him and frowned. "You?" 

"Same." 

"Mrft." Moaning, she slowly pushed herself to her feet again, ignoring the Digimon's gaze as she staggered past him and over to the bathroom, pausing to empty the contents of her pockets onto a small side-table. "Dibs on the shower," she explained as she kicked the door shut, cutting off his curious question before he could even start voicing it. 

All in all, the shower did her loads of good. Just standing under the hot water and letting it loosen sore muscles did wonders for her, as did the discovery of a soft terry cloth robe that she found in the cupboard under the sink. So once she was certain that she had used more than her fair share of soap and hot water, she turned her attention to her clothes, wrinking her nose at the sight of them. It took her a good fifteen minutes to hand wash most of the dirt off of them, and even then, they were destined for the garbage when she got home. 

She emerged almost an hour later, wearing her sports bra and underwear under the fluffy dark blue robe, and as she raked her nails through her damp hair, she realised that she actually felt like she was going to live through the night. Yawning, she looked towards the bed, her gaze softening when she saw the Digimon that was sprawled over it, snoring slightly as he slept, most of his armor strewn on the floor at the foot of the bed. Her right eyebrow quirked when she saw that he had removed his helmet, giving her a vew of his face, and she cocked her head slightly when she saw that the horns that had adorned the helmet were actually a part of him._ Jeez, do I know how to pick 'em or what?_

A sigh left her as she shook her head in wonderment, walking around the bed and over to the phone that sat beside it. "Yo, roomservice? Good. I want a burger and fries up here now and..." she paused and glanced over at Blackwargreymon. "The biggest rack of ribs you have. Slap some fries next to that. Yeah. And we need bandages up here, like a lot of them. And for the love of the Gods, bring a pot of coffee with you." 

After she had hung up, she looked back at the Digimon and frowned, seeing how swollen his right arm was. _I must've broken it. Damn. I really hadn't been meaning to do that._ Moving silently, she padded over to his side and held her right hand over where she judged the break to be, murmuring the incantation to a Healing spell. 

She must not have been as quiet as she had thought, because one moment she was halfway through a spell, the next she had a hand gripping her throat. "....ack....need.... _air....!_" 

For one moment, Blackwargreymon didn't know where he was. He was used to waking up in some cave or clearing, not a posh room like this. It wasn't until he heard the raspy whisper that he realised where he was, and what he was doing. "Lashana!" Wondering what she had been doing to make him react instinctively like that, he released her and watched as she gasped for breath and backed away, raising her hands to touch her neck. "What do you think you were doing?!" 

She shook her head and coughed, still trying to catch her breath. "Healing.... arm...." 

"What?" Frowning, he gingerly sat up and looked at his right arm, eyes widening when he rose it, only a slight stiffness following instead of the agony that had previously plagued him. "How-?" 

"Ugh. Healing spell," she muttered, clearing her throat a few times before swallowing. Still rubbing her throat, she walked past the bed and went to sit in the plush chair that looked out the patio doors, staring at the last little bit of the sunset. "Comes with the arsenal. I ordered food by the way. Should be here in ten minutes or so." 

"I... apologise. I didn't mean to--" 

"S'okay." 

Silence fell over them, and he found himself growing edgy the longer it dragged on. In the end, he grunted and rose to his feet, copying her previous idea and heading into the bathroom to clean the dirt of battle off of himself, leaving her to her thoughts. 

~*~ 

The scent of well cooked meat greeted him when he emerged almost thirty minutes later, and his stomach growled demandingly as he followed the smell over to the tray that was sitting on the bed, next to where he had placed his gauntlets. A muffled whimper drew his attention to the Elf, and he looked over at her where she was sitting on the couch, her own meal still untouched as she wrapped a length of bandage around her left hand. 

"There's bandages for you too. On the table," she told him, not looking up from her hand as she adjusted the wrapping so that it didn't aggrivate her bruised knuckles. 

"You're wrapping it too tightly." 

"I've bandaged split knuckles before, thank you very much." 

Rumbling at her tone, he tugged his most 'essential' piece of armor into place and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking over at her curiously. "You're young for a warrior." 

"Yeah, well. People do what they have to... to survive," Lashana answered, tying the bandage off before plucking a frie from her plate and eating it, reaching for her mug of fresh coffee afterwards. "I'm still sorry about... going nuts on you back there." 

"I suppose I deserved it. I did want you to fight me at your best." 

"I don't call what happened a good example of me being 'at my best'," she whispered, glancing away as she sipped at her drink. A sigh left her as she set her mug down onto the coffee table, and she silently grabbed another length of bandage as she slipped her right arm out of her robe, effortlessly tying it around the deep cut she had there. "You should eat before it gets cold." 

The reminder that there was food nearby elicted another growl from his stomach, and he pushed aside any thoughts of bandaging his wounds as he hungrily tore into the meal she had ordered for him, teeth easily ripping the meat off the bones. He caught her glancing at him a few times as he ate, but he mostly ignored her until the worst of his hunger had been sated. _It's been too long since I had a full meal..._

"You don't eat enough." 

Surprised - had she heard his thoughts? - he jerked his gaze over to her. "What?" 

"I can see your ribs," Lashana said as she polished off her own meal and leaned back into the couch's cushions, her newly refilled mug of coffee cradled in her hands. "With all the fighting you do, you burn up a hell of a lot of energy. I mean, geez, when's the last time you had a decent meal?" 

He blinked at her, then glanced down at himself. True, it had been a while since he had eaten his complete fill, but surely it wasn't _that_ noticable. "What gives you that idea?" 

She rolled her eyes. "You mean besides the fact that you damn near _inhaled_ your food and the plate along with it?" 

"....this really isn't any of your business, you know." 

"Fair enough." 

Silence hung over them again, knawing at him until he let out a low growl. "Two weeks. It's been two weeks," he muttered, avoiding her gaze as he pointed to her plate that still had a small pile of fries on it. "Are you going to finish that?" 

"You're welcome to it." Anger rose in her as she watched him retrieve the plate, a part of her wondering why he was wandering around this world on his own, fighting for no apparant reason. _A challenge. Surely that's not all he's got to look forward to?_ "You can order more if you want. I don't mind." 

He glanced at the phone longingly, but shook his head, looking at her in surprise when she rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. "What?" 

"You are the most stubborn being I have ever met," Lashana told him with a grin as she snatched the phone off the cradle. "Yo. Yes, this is the Suite again. Hey! Don't you dare give me any lip, you annoying little git. Hmpft. That's better. I want another rib meal. Yes, _another _one. What are you, deaf? Geez. And bring a pitcher of juice or something. _No._ Not ale. _Juice._ Gods..." She shook her head as she dropped the receiver back onto the cradle and muttered her opinion of the hotel under her breath as she headed back to the couch, pausing when a hand encircled her left wrist, talons deftly undoing the bandage on her hand. "Hey!" 

"Hold still," Blackwargreymon rumbled, being careful not to scratch her with his talons as he unwrapped her hand, frowning at the dark bruise and the split skin there for a moment before he started to rewrap it. "You had it too tight. It would have aggrivated the healing skin. If you wrap it this way, you don't have to tie it as tightly since there's no risk of it falling off or exposing the wound." 

She fought down an irrational bought of embarrassment and nodded. "Thanks. Um.... you can let go of my arm now." When he startled and released her, she smiled at him reassuringly, then went back to the couch. "Hey, I know you said you had questions and all, but can they wait till morning? I can barely keep my eyes open." 

"Sleep then. It can wait." His gaze didn't leave her as she pulled a blanket over herself and lay back on the couch, one arm thrown up over her eyes. She must have been just as exhausted as he was, for she was asleep in less than a minute, her breathing deep and peaceful. 

His second meal arrived a few minutes later, and he growled softly as he went to accept the delivery, a part of him hating how the Digimon looked at him in abject fear. Almost on their own, his thoughts drifted back to the fight, easily remembering how vicious their battle had been, and how each of them were able to fight each other to a standstill. The memory of Lashana's rage still brought a feeling of sympathy from him, though it didn't last long. He had become adept in ignoring his 'feelings', emotions that only brought him pain and suffering. 

Suddenly, he wasn't very hungry anymore, and he set the half-eaten plate of food on a sidetable before lying down on his back on the bed, glancing over at the Elf when she shifted in her sleep, a single lock of her hair falling into her closed eyes. The pain he had seen in her, it had been so familiar, and he ached to talk to her, to see if she was the one who held the answers he so desperately seeked. But it would do neither of them any good if they didn't take time to rest and recover, so it was with that conclusion that he rolled onto his side so that his back was to her and let the darkness claim him.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Third Interruption

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, Lashana's dragons and Telca's cat. Everyone else belongs to someone who isn't us. (Waaaah!!)_   
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 6 : Third Interuption   
  
  


"You? Not eating enough? Is this the same person who single-handedly ate four large pizzas?" 

"That was only one time!" 

Lashana chuckled at his insulted outburst. "Telca, really, you didn't see him then. He looked like hell." 

The Digimon grimaced. "You don't have to put it that way, Bonded." 

"I think it's cute," Nightcrawler grinned. "Blackie liked her even from the start." 

"Yea, an de Elf was no better," Remy added, chuckling when he saw Lashana blush. 

"Well, that night kinda brought it into perspective," Black muttered softly. This was the part that he had never wanted her to tell anyone about. He was ashamed of it. No warrior was supposed to act like that. But they had told the story this far, and he trusted the ones they were telling it to enough to ignore his stinging pride. "Like I said before, that time of my life wasn't exactly the best, and even now I don't like talking about it." 

Feeling Lashana's comforting presence at the edge of his thoughts, he cuddled her closer and took a breath, steeling himself as he started to recount the most soul-cleansing night he had ever had.   
  
  
  



	8. Demons of the Past and Present

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, Lashana's dragons and Telca's cat. Everyone else belongs to someone who isn't us. (Waaaah!!)_   
__ __

_Warning! Angst and fluff ahead! More fluff than angst.... mind you, but it's still there....._   
  
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 7 : Demons of the Past and Present   
  
  
  
  
  


His dreams were the usual. Though the term 'nightmares' would be a more apt description. In each of them, his fate was always the same. To be hated and feared and eventually destroyed for the sole reason that he wasn't of their world. Digimon and humans alike taunted and hunted him. Wearing him down until he was too weak to fight back. The ultimate disgrace for a warrior, to die like a weakened child. 

He tossed and turned on the bed, fangs partially bared in a defiant snarl as he fought his attackers, nearly crying with desperation when they kept coming, hacking and cutting at him until he could barely stand. Each time, he felt as if his destiny was being dangled in front of him, like a lure on a hook, baiting him, taunting him with the knowledge that no matter how hard he fought to reach it, it was not meant to be. 

_He's a fake. Just a **thing** made from some stupid control spires! He's not a real Digimon!_

The voices came from all around him, teasing, hurting, cutting into him like no weapon possibly could, and he howled in rage and desperation as he sought to silence them any way he could, to reach his destiny, a warm light that shone upon him from far away. If he could only _touch_ it.... 

_Blackwargreymon.... Blackwargreymon.... Blackwargreymon...._

The taunting chant was mixed with jeers and laughter, derogative comments intertwined here and there, serving only to fuel his anger, which in turn gave strength to his desperation, making him cut and slash his way though those who stood between him and his future. And when his fingers were mere centimeters away from the warm, forgiving light, the ground fell out from under him, invisible hands grabbing at him and pulling him screaming back down into the darkness.... 

_Blackwargreymon... Blackwargreymon..._

"Blackwargreymon!!" 

He gasped and bolted upright, eyes frantically darting over his surroundings as his chest heaved, his breath coming in rapid panicked pants as a chill washed through him, sweat running down his forehead and into his eyes. The dreams still held him, so the light touch on his arm made him recoil, and he turned his gaze towards the one that sought to hurt him, blinking when he recognised Lashana. The taunts and jeers of his dream still echoed in his ears, drowning out what she was saying, and he swallowed thickly to try to moisten his throat as he stared at her. "What?" 

She frowned at the turmoil in his gaze and slowly reached out to touch his arm again, feeling how tense and shakey he was. _He's trembling!_ "Are you alright?" she whispered, worry evident in her voice. She had never heard someone cry out in their sleep like he had, it had sounded like he was being tortured. "Blackwargreymon?" 

Not trusting his voice, he closed his eyes and shook his head, unable to look at her, not wanting to see the revulsion on her face. His heart nearly stopped when he felt the bed dip, felt her arms slowly encircle his shoulders and pull him close until he could rest his head on her right shoulder, her fingers smoothing his sweat dampened hair. Completely unused to any form of comfort, he tensed, ready to shove her away, thinking that this was a cruel joke. But it was when she started humming, her voice soft and reassuring that he paused, slowly realising that she wasn't going to laugh, or taunt, that she was offering solace without wanting something in return. 

Shuddering in reaction, he found himself wrapping his arms around her, trapping her against him as he rubbed his face against her shoulder, the cloth of her robe absorbing his tears as quickly as they came until the material was nearly soaked. Through it all she said nothing, merely held him and rocked him back and forth, humming softly, the melody slowly calming him until the physical and emotional exhaustion caught up to him, dragging him into a darkness that, for once, didn't frighten him. 

~*~ 

The sun was high the sky when Lashana opened her eyes the next afternoon. She had stayed with the Digimon almost the entire night. For one part, she was worried that he'd have another nightmare, and for the other, she was certain that until he released her of his own free will, she wasn't going anywhere. 

Shifting a little to relieve the ache of her ribs, she rose her right hand and gently smoothed the yellow-gold bangs out of his face, relief flooding her when he rumbled in his sleep, a low contented sound. A complete contrast to last night. She didn't know what he had been dreaming of, but Lords above, she had never seen someone in that much emotional agony before. How long had he been carrying this? 

Her back was pressed up against the headboard of the bed, in fact she had been using it as a pillow, something that her back and neck _did not_ approve of, and she yawned softly as she rose her free hand and worked the crick out of her neck, reburying her fingers in Blackwargreymon's hair afterwards, lightly brushing her nails through it until all the tangles were gone. 

She knew right away when he started to wake. His breathing quickened as his arms tightened around her, a hint of a purr escaping him as he rubbed his cheek over the still damp robe that covered her shoulder. Full wakefullness was easier to recognise. It was almost as if he had thought it had been a dream. The moment his eyes opened and he realised where he was, he tensed, every muscle turning into pure steel as he froze in place, holding his breath in shock. 

Smiling slightly in amusement, she hummed a few bars of one of her favorite songs and stroked his hair, feeling him resist for a moment before he relaxed, letting her calm him. She waited until she was certain that he was fully awake before speaking, and even then, it was only in a whisper. "Blackwargreymon? Are you alright?" 

"....isn't there another question you want to ask?" 

"No," she murmured, frowning at a cut on his shoulder from the day before and sighing as she quickly Healed it with a spell. 

He shifted a little, not releasing her, but pulling away from her hand. "Don't. You don't have to." 

"I know." 

"Why did you...." He paused for a moment and swallowed, almost fearing the answer. "Why...." 

Lashana closed her eyes at the pain and fear in his voice and gently hugged his shoulders. "Because I wanted to help you. Because I was worried." When that didn't get any reaction, she sighed and held him tighter. "....you scared me. I was damned near ready to fireball whatever was hurting you." 

Surprised at her admission, he rose his head from her shoulder and met her gaze, seeing the very real worry there, and fear. For him. Fear that something that been hurting him. She had been ready and willing to rise to his defence, he saw it in her eyes, along with a relief that he was alright that plainly startled him. 

Completely at a loss for words at this discovery, he could do nothing but stare at her, watching as she reached up and lightly traced a small cut on his cheek, the wound Healing until it was as if it had never been there. The gesture tugged at something inside him, and he sighed as he pulled her closer, until she was resting against his chest, her head directly under his chin, allowing him to rest his cheek against her hair. 

In a voice that shook ever so slightly, he told her of the nightmares, of the neverending questions that plagued him, of his creation by Arukenimon, and the battles he had fought in the hopes of finally finding his destiny. Through it all she stayed silent, her own arms curled around his middle, returning his desperate embrace as she listened to him speak. When his voice finally broke, she rose her head to look at him, and he tensed when he saw her own tears, afraid that she thought him a pathetic creature in need of pity. 

"Hey, don't," she frowned when he winced and looked away from her. "Look at me." When he only glanced at her, she sighed and reached up to lie her hands on his cheeks, gently forcing him to meet her gaze. "Listen to me. You are not evil and you are not some heartless _thing._ It doesn't matter if you were born or created, understand? And it sure as hell doesn't mean that you don't have a soul. No, don't look at me like that. You have a soul. You know how I know? Because all those questions you fired off at me, everything about emotions and your destiny and having a heart... there's a term for that. A very truthful and fitting one. It's called 'soul-searching'. It's when someone's lost, when they don't know how or why they're in this world, when they're trying to find their reason for being. That's what you're doing, Blackwargreymon. Only someone with a heart.... with a _soul_ could be on a search for the answers to questions like yours. Now, I'm not saying I have all the answers, Goddess knows that I'm about as screwed up as they come, but I'll help you.... if you let me." 

The Digimon looked at her for a long moment, searching her eyes for any trace of deception, of ridicule. When all he found was truth, and the promise of hope, he shuddered and wrapped his arms even tighter around her, burying his face into her hair as fresh tears fell from his eyes. 

Lashana grimaced slightly and reached up to lightly tap the metal horn on the end of his snout, meeting his curious gaze when he looked at her through misty eyes. "No offense, but you're not really helping the whole cracked ribs scenerio." 

"What? Oh! Did I hurt you?!" He snatched his arms away from her as if she had burnt him, looking at her and wincing when he saw her clutch at her side. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't--" 

"It's alright. I'm okay," she said quickly, knowing that the past night had pretty much brought all of his insecurities to the surface, after all, she'd gone through the same thing herself once. Trying to get him to calm down again, she let him pull her back into his arms and sighed when he rested his cheek against the top of her head, his movements slow and cautious, as if he was afraid that she'd break. 

A comfortable silence fell over them, and Blackwargreymon contented himself with listening to her breathing as he held her and was held in return, taking the opportunity to memorise her scent while she was close. Of course, the moment he had calmed down enough, his stomach took the time to remind him that he was passing up the chance to be filling himself once again, and he groaned at the sound, elicting a soft chuckle from the one he was holding. 

"C'mon. Leggo so I can reach the phone," Lashana smiled, poking him in the ribs and grinning when he yelped and twisted away, shooting her a resentful glance as he did so. "I'll be damned. You're _ticklish?_" When he snorted and looked away, she chuckled softly and reached past him to grab the phone, grimacing at the yell that immediately sounded from it. 

Frowning at the tone of Digitamamon's voice, Blackwargreymon snatched the receiver from her and snarled into it, silencing the Ultimate. "We want breakfast. A large one. And..." He glanced over at Lashana for a moment before continuing. "A large coffee and some juice." 

"Who are you to--" 

"My name, is Blackwargreymon," he growled, cutting the Ultimate off. "Food. Now." Sighing, he hung up, cutting off the gibberish of apologies and pleas that he not blow up the hotel, turning at the sound of soft clapping. 

"Couldn't have done better myself," Lashana grinned, elicting a low chuckle. "Feeling a little better now?" 

He nodded. "A little." 

"Good! Don't you ever scare me like that again! Gods above, you took a year off my life." She glared at him warningly as she spoke, though there wasn't any real anger there. Sighing, she slowly got to her feet and stretched, placing both hands against the small of her back as she groaned. "Oh, my poor back...." 

The Digimon stared at her in thinly veiled surprise, watching her as she stretched sore muscles from the day before. _I.... scared her? What does she mean? Maybe.... was she so worried about me that she really was afraid for me?_ She glanced over at him then, and he grunted softly as he averted his gaze, turning his attention to a piece of his armor that lay nearby. 

"I swear those things are fixing themselves." 

"Hmm?" When she gestured to his armor, he nodded. "The data's slowly de-fragmenting itself. It'll be as good as new in another day or so." 

"Cripple that and run it by me again. Data?" 

"This _is_ the Digital World, remember? Everything here is made of data. The buildings, the trees, the Digimon...." 

"You." 

"Maybe.... and don't look at me like that." 

"Fine, fine. So everything's made of data, then how the hell am I here? I'm flesh and blood, not some computer program." 

"I don't know. But I've seen other huma-- people... coming and going from here to the Real World. As well as some Digimon." 

"So.... the dimensions must be close together if beings from each world can easily travel back and forth like that without any side-effects... Must mean that people who visit here get converted into data somehow, then revert into flesh and blood when they leave..." Lashana mused to herself, tapping a cracked nail against her chin for a moment before frowning and looking down at it. "Good to know, I suppose." 

He shrugged, not completely understanding what she was talking about, and straightened when the scent of food caught his attention. "Food's here," he announced as he rose and went to open the door, staring down at the trembling Digimon that was pushing a small cart laden with the breakfast trays. Not waiting to hear any whining or pleas, he grabbed the cart and shoved it into the room, slamming the door in the 'mons face afterwards. 

A snicker drew his gaze to the Elf that was watching him, and he frowned at her curiously. "What?" 

"We have to work on your personal relations skills." 

He snorted and grabbed a toast. "You can explain what that means after breakfast." 

"So long as you don't eat all the bacon, you've got yourself a deal." 

~*~ 

A loud burp and a very satisfied sigh announced the Digimon's present contentment, and Lashana rolled her eyes from where she was in the bathroom, getting changed into her jeans and tank-top. "You do realise that was disgusting." 

"Didn't taste all that good either." 

"Okay, ew. TMI." 

"TMI?" 

"Too much information." 

"Ah." He looked up from where he was sitting on the floor while studying a mending crack in his chest armor as she walked back into the main room and frowned at her. "Where are you going?" 

"Nowhere. I just got sick of that damned robe," she explained as she sat lotus-style on the bed, looking at him curiously. "Why?" 

Suddenly feeling a little awkward, he shrugged and turned his gaze back to his armor, using a corner of the bed's blankets to wipe the dirt off of one of his gauntlets. "Just asking." 

"Mmhm." 

"What's that for?" 

"Nothing." 

"Tell me." 

"What? It's nothing." 

He growled. 

Chuckling, Lashana leaned down and lightly tapped the horn on his snout. "You were worried that I'd leave you behind, weren't you?" 

"I said nothing of the sort!" 

"You know, you're not a very good liar." 

"I'm not lying!" 

"Want to know your tells?" 

"My _what?_" 

"Tells. How I know that you're lying?" 

"I am not!" 

"For one thing, your voice gets louder. And then there's the whole avoiding eye contact thing, and the fact that if 

you rub any harder you're going a wear a hole straight through that gauntlet." 

He glanced down at the piece of armor in his hands and frowned. "...Dramon Destroyers." 

"What?" 

"The gauntlets. They're called Dramon Destroyers." 

"Ah. But you're avoiding the subject." 

"....maybe." 

Sighing at the turmoiled tone of his voice, she carefully reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, seeing him close his eyes and lean his head back against the bed, moving closer as he did so. "Has your life been so empty? Haven't you known anything except fighting and struggle?" When he didn't answer, she growled softly. "I have got to get you out of here." 

That got his attention, and he pulled away from her as he twisted to look at her. "What's wrong with the hotel?" 

"Not the hotel. This place. This world! It's going to end up killing you!" 

"So?" 

"So? _So?!_ Are you serious?! I can't-- You--! Argh!" She slammed both fists into the bed and shot to her feet, stalking over to the patio doors and glaring out the windows. 

Now completely confused, Blackwargreymon stood and looked over at her. "I don't understand. I was created to destroy, what else is there for me? No matter what you say, I'm still a creation of control-spires, I'm not like the others. They've told me that numerous times. I've tried to search for my destiny, but all it brings me is more suffering. Wouldn't it be better if I just wasn't here to--" He cut himself off with a growl of shock when she suddenly lashed out, her right fist slamming against and into the closest wall. An aura flickered around her, and he warily backed away as he watched her, frowning when he saw that she was trembling, her bangs hiding her eyes. 

"Don't think like that," she whispered, her sorrowful tone a stark contrast to her show of anger. "There's so much more. So much. Friends and family, relaxing in the shade of a tree on a gorgeous day, having fun.... Gods above, if I could get my hands on those bakas...." 

"Lashana...." 

"No! There's more to life than conflict!" She rose her head and looked at him, not caring about the tears in her eyes. "Just because those closed-minded imbeciles tell you otherwise doesn't mean they're right! You're not some thing to be used as a weapon! You don't deserve to be treated like this, and you sure as hellfire don't deserve to die!" 

"....come sit down." 

"I can't." 

"Why?" 

She winced. "My hand's stuck." 

Sighing, he walked over to her and gently closed his hands around her arm, just managing to squeeze a few fingers into the wall so that he could rip it apart, freeing her with ease. "Why do you.... care.... so much about what happens to me?" he murmured as he lightly brushed his fingers over her hand, checking to see if she had broken any bones, using that as an excuse not to meet her gaze. 

"Because somewhere along the way I started thinking of you as a friend. And because I understand what it's like to be alone, trapped in a world that doesn't accept or understand you." She reached up and lightly rested her free hand on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat. "And no matter how hard you try to hide it, I know that you don't want to believe what people keep telling you, about being evil, about there being no future for you. Your destiny is what you choose it to be, no one else can decide it's outcome except _you._ Life is so much more diverse than you know, Blackwargreymon, don't give up on it until you've experienced all it has to offer." 

He closed his eyes as he listened to her, a shudder working it's way down his spine when she touched him. Being careful not to hurt her, he rose one of his hands and gently rested it over hers, pressing her palm against his heart. "I've been searching for someone who could answer my questions since I was created...." Feeling a burst of playfullness overtake him, he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "What took you so long to get here?" 

She smirked. "Interdimensional traffic was murder." 

~*~ 

"So... what is this again?" 

"That, is a hot fudge sundae with sprinkles. If you insist on having me show you the finer things in life we might as well start with the stuff that doesn't involve a whole lot of energy considering that we both look like hell." 

"I resent that." 

"You're just lucky your black skin hides all those bruises. I'm not supposed to be polka-dotted." 

"I don't bruise as easily." 

"Oh, yeah? Then what's this?" 

"Ow! No touching!" 

"That's what I thought. Now hush and eat your sundae before I steal it from you." 

"Fine, fine.... Hey! This is good!" 

"Well, duh." Lashana rolled her eyes as she set her now empty bowl aside and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes as she laced her fingers behind her head. She was busy revelling in the softness of the mattress when the springs creaked slightly, signifying that the Digimon that was sitting next to her had twisted to look at her. 

"If you're tired you can sleep you know. I don't mind." 

"M'awake." 

"And you say I'm stubborn?" 

"I refuse to answer that in the light that I may incriminate myself." 

"Uh huh." 

"Same to you. And stop looking at me like that." 

"How do you do that? Your eyes are closed." 

"Hehe." 

"Oh 'hehe' yourself," he muttered as he finished off his sundae, licking his spoon and the bowl clean before glancing at her, a rather evil smirk spreading over his lips as he moved to touch the still extremely cold utensil against the side of her neck. 

"Don't even think about it." 

"About what?" 

"Whatever it is that you're -- Ack! Cold!" 

Chuckling despite the glare that was being sent his way, Blackwargreymon set the bowl and spoon onto a side table, then leaned back against the headboard of the bed, glancing over at her when she grumbled and lay back down again. "Tell me something?" 

"Maybe." 

"You said you understood.... what it feels like to be alone...." 

"That's not exactly something I like talking about." 

"....right. Sorry." 

She frowned at the ceiling and sighed. "When I was a kid, I didn't fit in anywhere. I lost my real folks when I was a baby, so after that I was basically living in foster homes and orphanges. Really, no one knew what to do with me. I was the only half-elf there, an outcast in every sense of the term. The kids laughed at me and the adults condemed me for something that was completely out of my control. I was too Human to fit in with the Elves, and I was too Elven to fit in with the Humans. At one point I ended up just about where you were - I was pretty much ready and willing to die... It wasn't until some very special Human fosters took me into their home that I realised that life doesn't have to be all agony and depression. ...I still hate most Humans and Elves for what they did to me. For making my childhood a lesson in pain instead of one of joy. That's why I reacted that way when you called me a 'half-breed'. It's what people called me when I was a kid, when they were taunting and teasing me. Hearing it.... it kinda brings back all the pain all at once, y'know? Sometimes I can control it... others... well, you saw." 

He stayed silent for a moment before looking down at her where she lay next to him. "You didn't have to tell me that." 

"You asked." 

"But you said...." 

"Just because I don't like talking about it doesn't mean I won't. You asked and I trust you enough to tell you, leave it at that." 

"You trust me? I nearly killed you!" 

"Oh, let's not start that again." 

"Right. Sorry. But, still, you trust me?" 

"Is it that hard to believe?" 

"How many people know about your past?" 

"Why is that important?" 

"Humor me." 

"Four. My two foster parents, my best friend Telca, and you." 

"That's it?" 

"It's not something I tend to broadcast to everyone I meet, y'know. It's not like I can walk up to someone and say 'Hi! How are ya? An, hey, did you know my childhood sucked royally?!'" 

"Then why'd you tell me?" 

"I already answered that!" 

"Hrrm...." 

"....I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. This just isn't the topic that brings out the best in me. But hey! At least I'm not blowing things up this time, right?" 

Frowning, he shifted so that he was propped up on his elbow next to her and met her gaze when she looked at him. "Lashana, don't," he murmured, gently brushing her bangs out of her eyes and lightly tracing her cheek with the smooth curve of an overlong talon. "You don't have to do that with me." 

She sighed and glanced away, smiling slightly when he copied her example from last night and stroked her hair. "I never said I was good at coping." 

"I know. Neither did I. You know.... you're the only one who's seen me cry." 

"There's nothing wrong with that." 

"I just wanted you to know." Sliding an arm around her shoulders, he lay down on his back next to her and joined her in staring up at the ceiling, raising his left arm so that his hand was behind his head. "So. What now?" 

"....I want a fudge sundae." 

"Another one?" 

"Chocolate is a wonderful cure for depression." 

"....pass me the phone." 


	9. Stolen Hope

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
  
  
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 8 : Stolen Hope   
  


"Oh dear Goddess, I think I ate too much," Lashana groaned as she lay back against the plush chairs cushions, closing her eyes as she rested a hand against her dully aching ribs. A loud belch made her crack an eye open to look at Blackwargreymon as he licked his bowl clean, staring at him until he glanced over at her and blushed. 

"Sorry." 

"Uh huh." 

"It tasted better this time." 

"Oh gross!" she cried, chuckling softly when he gave her a sheepish grin. "You're incorrigible." 

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," he retorted with a smirk as he dropped the bowl on the floor and sprawled onto his back on the bed, taking up almost the entire space as he stretched, lazily rolling his head to the side in time to see the Elf curl up in the chair, her eyes slowly fluttering closed. "Lashana?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Did you mean what you said, when you told me you were going to 'get me out of here'?" 

"Mmhm." 

Frowning at the drowsy mumble, he rose his head a little and smiled. "Are you even fully awake?" 

"....no." 

"You'd be more comfortable on the couch." 

"Mpht." 

He chuckled and gingerly pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head as he walked over to her and carefully scooped her into his arms, rumbling when she immediately snuggled closer to him in her sleep. Torn, he glanced from the couch to the bed, then sighed and went to lie her down on the couch, pausing to smooth her hair off of her forehead before draping a blanket over her. _I can't risk hurting her if I have another nightmare..._

Sighing again, he turned to head back to the bed, only a glimpse of colour out of the corner of his eye stopped him, making him turn to look down at the small square of paper on the table. He knew that these things belonged to Lashana, he had seen her empty her pockets the day before, and he stole a quick glance at her to make sure she was still sleeping before he picked up what had caught his attention, frowning at it curiously. It was a picture. He easily recognised a grinning Lashana as the female on the right, and he figured that the one on the left would have to be the 'Telca' that she talked of. 

The woman's long burgundy hair was tied back into an elaborate braid, her purple eyes shining with mirth as she and the Elf posed for whoever was taking the picture, and he smirked when he saw the height difference between the two of them, Lashana being a full foot shorter than her friend. It didn't seem to bother them at all, judging by the picture, and he smiled at the image of the Elf fondly, wondering if he'd get the chance to see her that happy before she left. 

Carefully setting the picture down again, he turned his attention to a small slip of folded paper, arching a brow ridge as he unfolded it and read the short note, chuckling when he realised that it was a reminder to herself to call her foster mother before the woman tracked her down and embarrassed her in public. 

He had known from the beginning of this odd truce that at one point she'd have to return to her own world, to her home. Truthfully, he didn't fully believe her when she said that she'd rescue him from this world, after all, where could he go? With her, to the Real World? There'd be no place for him there, he'd be just as much of an outcast there as he was here.... though.... he'd have her by his side.... 

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he dropped the paper back onto the table and went to lie down on the bed, resting on his side as he gazed over at the sleeping Elf. It surprised him, how close they had become in so short a time, and he found himself admitting that he was becoming rather fond of her.... his first friend. She was the first person that not only treated him like an equal, but was the first person who truly _was_ his equal. Not only had they tied in the battle, but she knew and understood his pain, his loneliness, and on top of that, she had actually answered many of his questions, making him wonder if perhaps, they weren't meant to be tied to one another. 

Growling softly, he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, listening to her steady breaths as he mulled over what he now knew. It was clear enough now that he had to find something to give his life meaning, something to look forward to everyday, something that gave him a reason to keep going, but he also knew that he wasn't going to find that in the Digiworld. He had been here too long, too many 'mons knew of him, judged him. He had to find a place where he could start over, a place that he could, maybe, learn to call 'home'. 

Sleep was very close to claiming him when a low rumble tugged him back to full consciousness, and he frowned in wary curiosity as he rose and went to the patio doors, looking out and narrowing his eyes when he saw a familiar Jeep drive up to the hotel, a small group of Skullmeramon and a single Skullgreymon following closely. _Not here, not now!_

Knowing that they had little time, he spun and dropped to one knee next to the couch, reaching out to shake Lashana's shoulder urgently. "Lashana. Lashana, wake up!" 

".....wha?" 

"I know you're tired, but you have to get up. They're here." 

"Huh? What?" The Elf sat up as he surged to his feet and started quickly donning his armour, blinking at him sleepily when he rounded on her afterwards. "Who's here?" 

"Arukenimon and Mummymon. And they have other control-spire Digimon with them." 

"And this presents an actual problem because? Those two are idiots!" 

"I know, trust me, I know. It's not them that pose a threat. Now come on, get your things." 

Now fully awake and wondering what had him so worried, she quickly grabbed her stuff off the table and shoved them into her pockets, hopping into her sneakers seconds before the room door exploded inwards, and if Blackwargreymon hadn't yanked her out of the way, the flying door would have taken her head off. "Okay, time to go!" 

"Hold on!" he growled at her as he tossed her onto his back and spun to fly out of the closest window, cursing when one chain wrapped itself around his left ankle and another around Lashana's right leg, trying to yank them both back into the room. 

"Get off!" Lashana snarled, lobbing a fireball at the form as she tried to free herself from the chain around her leg, raising her gaze at the sound of a low chuckle to glare at the Digimon what was standing on the balcony. A grimace spread over her lips at the sight of the male that had entirely too many muscles, too many chains around himself and a metal facemask that looked like he'd play a good part as a murderous psychopathic stalker. 

"_Terra Destroyer!_" 

_Well, there goes the hotel,_ Lashana mused to herself as kicked the remaining piece of chain off of herself and watched the building collapse on itself. Smirking, she turned to study the landscape from where she was clinging to the Mega's back as he flew higher, putting distance between them and the Digimon below. A rather annoyed roar made her wince, and she peered past Blackwargreymon's shoulder armour to stare down at what she could only describe as a walking dinosaur skeleton, it's eerily glowing eye sockets sending a shudder down her spine. "What _is _that?" 

"A Skullgreymon. And those around him are more Skullmeramon's." 

"That tells me squat, you do realise this, yes?" 

"All you need to know is that they're Ultimates, and I'm a Mega. They won't be around much longer." 

"Try to blow up that Jeep while you're at it." 

He chuckled and rose his arms, red energy gathering between his palms. "No problem." 

Tightening her hold on him so she wouldn't fall off, Lashana took a moment to look down at the others below them, frowning curiously when it seemed that they were waiting for something. _They're just standing there. Not attacking at all... why...? Uh oh._ Realization struck her, and she twisted to look behind them as a Digimon that looked like a giant grey and black beetle with too many teeth dove at them. "Aw, hell! Blackwargreymon!" 

Acting on reflexes honed by dozens of battles, he spun at the yell and quickly rose his Dramon Destroyers, grunting when his opponent slammed into him. Feeling Lashana's arms wrap around his neck from behind, he easily shoved the Okuwamon backwards, giving himself enough space to launch the glowing Terra Destroyer right into it's face and then turning in time to deflect an attack of blue fire from one of the Skullmeramon's below them. _I can't fight in the air with Lashana on my back... but there's no where I can land that's safe to leave her..._

"Hellfire! More bugs at ten o'clock!" 

"What?" 

"There!" Lashana pointed east at the ten other grey and black flying bugs that were heading right for them. "Where are they coming from?!" 

"Arukenimon must have made them, like she made me." 

"But they're not like you! They're.... well, kinda dumb. I mean look, that one just flew into a tree!" 

_Could it be? That I'm not like the other control spire Digimon? That I'm something.... more?_

"Okuwamon! Destroy them!" 

Lashana bared her fangs in a silent snarl as she glared down at Arukenimon, who was ordering her Digimon to kill them. "Put me down." 

"What? Are you insane?!" 

"Only enough to be interesting. Listen, I'm slowing you down up here an I can't weave any spells if I'm hanging on for dear life! Get me on the ground. I'll hold off those morons while you squash those overgrown mosquitoes." 

"You can't face all of them on your own!" 

"I'll yell if I need help." 

"But--" He cut himself off and frowned as he glanced from the flyers in front of him to the others on the ground. _No. She's right. I can't fight properly if I'm constantly worried about throwing her off. But we're at a disadvantage. We're both still healing from yesterday, and my armour's not fully mended yet...._ "Alright. Hold on." 

Grinning, she tightened her hold on him as he dove, slapping him on the shoulder to get his attention moments later. "This is good! Thanks!" Ignoring his shocked protests, she threw herself off of him and fell the last three meters, landing in a crouch admits the tall grasses and chuckling lowly as she straightened and rose her hands. "I'm baaaack! _Fireball!_" 

A smirk spread over Blackwargreymon's lips as he watched her decimate the Skullmeramon's that had been foolish enough to charge her, remembering what it was like to be on the receiving end of that spell. _This won't take me long, she'll be alright for a few minutes._ Growling softly, he turned his attention back to the Okuwamon that were diving towards him, grinning at their look of fright when he gathered energy into his hands. "Hello." 

_This is easy!_ Lashana backflipped to avoid a blaster shot from Mummymon's gun and retaliated with another fireball. She had already dealt with the group of Friday the Thirteenth wannabes, now all that was left were the two wackos and the big skeleton. 

"_Dark Shot!_" 

"Eh? Ack! _Defence!_" She rose her arms and crossed them in front of her face as the Skullgreymon's attack slammed into her shield, buckling it as it sent her skidding backwards, her sneakers leaving shallow trenches in the dirt. _Okay. Ow._ Shaking her head a little to clear her thoughts, she quickly shot a glance around her before darting into the forest, hearing the skeleton dinosaur's roar of outrage as it followed her. 

The roar also caught Blackwargreymon's attention, and he turned as he backhanded one of the Okuwamon aside, leaving it to crash to the ground as he searched for Lashana. _Oh no..._

"_Dynast Brass!_" 

Relief flooding him at the familiar voice, he darted his gaze over to the forests' edge in time to see her loose the attack from where she was perched in one of the taller trees, and he smiled with pride as he watched the spell trap the Skullgreymon in a glowing red five pointed star before lightning rained down on the Digimon, knocking him out of the fight. _Good. She's holding her own._ Satisfied that she was alright, he turned back to his remaining opponents, dropping their numbers down to three with a few slashes of his Dramon Destroyers. 

"What? No more?" Lashana frowned as she dropped out of the tree and looked around, sighing as she planted her hands on her hips. "Geez, that was hardly a workout." 

"_Fireball!_" 

She ducked at the yell and watched as the sphere of fire sailed past her to explode against the ground. Shaking her head sadly, she straightened and looked over at the new Digimon, one that looked like a humanoid made out of pure fire, quirking an eyebrow at him quizzically. "You call that a fireball? That's not a fireball. Now this..." Baring her fangs in a grin, she rose her hands and wove the spell for a full power fireball of her own, seeing the Digimon's eyes widen when he saw the end result of the incantation. "_This_ is a fireball! Here! Catch!" 

The Mega that was just finishing off his last attacker glanced towards her as an explosion filled the clearing, chuckling when he saw her standing on the sidelines of it while calmly dusting off her jeans. Unfortunately, she didn't see the danger behind her, and he growled as he knocked the bug aside and grabbed at his shield, throwing it so that it embedded itself into the ground between her and the Digimon that was emerging from the forest. _How many control-spire Digimon did Arukenimon **make?!**_

Lashana yelped as something slammed into the ground behind her, spinning around to blink at the black shield in surprise before a blast of fire impacted with it, making her dive down behind it in order to protect herself. _I'm pinned...._ Frowning, she peeked around the edge of the shield and blinked at the black t-rex look-alike as it coughed up another bought of fire, the light from the flames illuminating the red stripes it had all over it's body. _Well, isn't that attractive....not._

"_Terra Destroyer!_" 

"Ack!" She ducked behind the shield as heat and fire washed over it, raising her hands to protect her head as she did so. There was a moment of silence afterward, followed by a soft rumble that made her lower her arms and look up at the familiar form that yanked the shield out of the ground. "Thanks." 

"Anytime. Are you--" 

Lashana gasped when he cut himself off with a low snarl and scrambled to her feet as he moved to stand beside her, glaring into the forest. Wary, she followed his gaze and paled, shaking as she stared at the huge spider Digimon that emerged into the rapidly fading light, and she staggered backwards as she let out a squeak of fear. 

_What was that? _He turned at the sound and growled softly as he looked at Lashana, eyes widening when he saw that she was staring right at the newly arrived Digimon, a look of sheer terror on her face. Acting on instinct, he dropped into a protective stance in front of her, levelling a glare at the Insect Digimon. "Leave or die." 

Nearly in full panic mode, Lashana glanced from the spider to the Mega that was now directly in front of her, Dramon Destroyers raised and glinting dully as he glared at the Digimon in front of them. _I hate spiders! Why does it always have to be spiders?!_

"Don't worry." 

She blinked at those two words, staring at Blackwargreymon in surprise as he lunged forward, barrelling into the other Digimon and attacking it savagely, startling her with the protective ferocity she saw in his eyes. _What in the--ack!_ Her train of thought derailed itself as gnarled, bandaged covered hands grabbed her, hauling her away from the distracted Blackwargreymon before she could regain enough of her senses to scream or attack. Lengths of material curled around her arms, pinning them to her sides as a hand clamped itself over her mouth, muffling her curses as she started to struggle wildly, aiming to at least make it very difficult for Mummymon to carry her anywhere. 

"Hold still! Ow! Stop kicking me!" He yelped as her heel connected with his shin again, then grunted, his eyes crossing when she mule-kicked him in the crotch. 

_Ha! That'll teach ya!_ Using this to her advantage, she savagely sunk her fangs into his hand, grinning at his cry of pain as he snatched his hand away from her mouth, giving her just the opening she needed. "Get offa me you freak!! Yipe! _Hey!_ Watch where you're grabbing you pervert!!" Now sufficiently annoyed to forget about the spider, she growled and jerked her head back, grimacing as her skull connected with Mummymon's face, not that she complained since it made him release her. 

She hit the ground hard and rolled, hopping to her feet only to have them knocked out from under her by the webbing that curled around her ankles. _Oh Goddess no...._

"You idiot! Can't you handle one stupid human?!" Arukenimon gave Mummymon a scathing glare as the other Digimon sputtered, trying to make excuses. "Shut up and get her into the Jeep before Blackwargreymon realises that we've got her! We can use her to get him to finish destroying those Destiny Stones!" 

"Fat chance, bitch!" the Elf snarled defiantly. "He's not your puppet! He won't take orders from you!" 

"Oh, but he will." Grinning, Arukenimon reached down and grabbed her by the collar of her tank top, hoisting her off the ground. "You see, you've changed him somehow. He's trying to protect you, and that means that he'll do anything to keep us from killing you.... and that includes doing anything we tell him to do. Mummymon, gag her!" 

"_Fireb--_mfpt!!" Her eyes widened as material covered her lips, muffling the rest of her spell and rendering it useless. Frantically, she kicked at the webbing that was tangled around her ankles, managing to free her legs as she was dragged towards the Jeep, allowing her to lash out with both feet to knock Arukenimon to the ground, the spider's cry of surprise loud in her ears. 

"Lashana! Lashana, where are you?!" 

The nearby yell spurring her onwards, Arukenimon glared at the human as she pulled herself to her feet, shoving both the girl and Mummymon towards the waiting Jeep. "Hurry up and let's go before he finds us!" 

"Too late! _Terra Des--_" 

"Ah, ah, ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you," Mummymon taunted as he held the human in front of himself and nuzzled the barrel of his gun against her throat, ignoring the muffled curses from her as he did so. "My trigger-finger might not like it." 

Blackwargreymon's eyes narrowed as he glared at them, a dangerous anger rising in him. "You're both dead." 

"I don't think so, not now that you're convinced that you have a heart," Arukenimon drawled, reverting back into her human guise as she did so. "Especially not when your... feelings," she spat the word out tauntingly, "prevent you from attacking while we have the human." 

_Call me 'Human' one more time psycho-bitch and Blackwargreymon's not going to be the only one who's going to pound you!_ Lashana snarled into her gag and sent a look of death at Arukenimon, grunting when the gun was pressed harder against her throat. 

"....what do you want?" 

Mummymon grinned, knowing that they had the Mega right where they wanted him. "The Destiny Stones, all in little pieces. Then, maybe, we'll consider letting her go." 

Realising what they were doing, the Elf jerked her gaze over to Blackwargreymon and shook her head frantically, her eyes widening in horror when he ignored her and instead growled an agreement to Arukenimon. _No! He's right back where he started! _She screamed and fought to get free, ignoring the gun completely as she shot a look of 'are you insane?!' to the Mega, yelping when the butt of the gun slammed into her ribs, dropping her to the ground. 

Reeling, she was dimly aware of Blackwargreymon's enraged snarl as a familiar barrel was pressed against her temple, and her breath hissed out between clenched teeth as she glared at the ground in front of her, listening to them warn the Mega to stay back. Hands grabbed the bindings around her torso then, roughly lifting her and tossing her into the back of the Jeep, the treatment knocking the air from her lungs and leaving her dazed and disoriented, her vision swimming before the butt of the gun impacted with her temple.   
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Fourth Interruption

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
__ __

Sparda219 - *hehe* Can you say "Got fluff?" *snicker* Just you wait till I finish the epilogue for this thing. You ain't seen fluff yet, my friend! 

Aidan - Gomen! Sorry I took so long to update! Anyway, here's the rest of the story. And as mentioned above, the epilogue won't be long in coming! 

T-rex - Of course my dear loving Bonded will come rescue me! He'd damn well better! Else he's sleeping on the couch for the rest of his natural life! *glares at Blackie* 

Blackie: *glares at T-Rex* Now look what you've done -_- 

DigiDayDreamer - *Lashana whaps Mega Digimon* Don't try to kill the reviewers!! *grumbles and looks at DigiDayDreamer* No worries about losing insanity. I don't think I'd be able to do that if I tried! *hehe*   
  
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 9 : Fourth Interruption   
  


"Whoa, you really weren't in top form if they got you that easily, were you?" Zelgadis muttered, wincing at the annoyed glare that Lashana shot him. 

"First off, they caught me when I was incoherent from the appearance of a spider the size of a truck. Second, I wasn't as powerful then as I am now. And did I mention the spider?" 

"Yes, you mentioned the spider," Duncan smirked. "What's the deal with you and spiders anyway?" 

The Elf grimaced. "Back when I was with the Elves, there was a bully that kept targeting me. One day he and his goons grabbed me and flung me into a cave with Grixa spiders in it. They're something like Jumping Spiders, except they're twice the size and weave webs like Tarantulas on crack." 

Kang growled softly from where he was sitting next to the Bonded couple and reached out to lightly touch her arm, ignoring the glare he got from Blackie. "Want us to hunt them down and find that cave to pitch them into? We'll even throw Xellos in after them as a bonus." 

"That's it? Hell, let's hog-tie 'em and throw them into a Hentai universe," Telca smirked. "Preferably one with tentacles." 

As the Harem shuddered in disgust and horror, Lashana chuckled softly and shook her head. "Naw. They're not worth it. It'd be a waste of magick." 

"Hmpft. Your sense of revenge needs tweaking I see." 

"Oh shut up. And what were we talking about before we went off on a tangent?" 

Rolling his eyes, Tvashtar smirked at her playfully. "The two idiots that somehow managed to kidnap you." 

"Oh. Riiight." 

"Maybe I should take over for a bit, hmm?" Black tightened his hold on his Elf and smiled at her warmly before turning his attention to the Harem again.   
  
  
  
  



	11. Hope Regained

  
_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 10 : Hope Regained   
  


_Uugggh... what hit me?_ Groaning, Lashana weakly opened her eyes only to grimace and shut them again, the bright light from the sun having momentarily blinded her. _Another desert?_ As the memories of what had happened slowly resurfaced in her aching head, she became aware that she was still lying on the back seat of the Jeep, but that it wasn't moving. _We've stopped. How long was I out? Where's Blackwargreymon?_

Wincing at the stiffness in her shoulders caused by having her arms pinned to her sides, she somehow managed to get herself semi-upright, blinking at the nearby group of factories and warehouses and the clouds of smoke that were coming from it. Pleased chuckles drew her attention over to the two Digimon standing a little ways to her right, and she scowled at them for a moment before twisting so that she was kneeling on the seat. _Gotta get out of here and stop Blackwargreymon from destroying whatever a 'Destiny Stone' is...._

Shooting a glance at the duo to make sure they weren't looking, she rose to her feet and jumped out of the Jeep, turning her head to rub the side of the gag against her shoulder in an attempt to loosen it... 

"Hey! Get back here!" 

_Whoops. Time to go._ Gasping for breath, she turned and slid down the side of the sand dune they were parked on, frantically trying to either free herself of the gag or free an arm. Unfortunately, it seemed that Mummymon had somehow gotten smarter since last time, because he had tripled the layer of bandages around her, keeping her from simply breaking free. All she could do was wriggle around so that her hands were at the small of her back, the position just barely allowing her fingers to move. _Need a plan! Oh hellfire this is killing my shoulders!_

Another explosion drew her frantic gaze back to the buildings ahead of her, watching as one of the empty water towers toppled to the ground with a billow of smoke. _Gotta get Blackwargreymon's attention..._ Barely keeping herself from stumbling, she rubbed her cheek against her right shoulder roughly, over and over until the gag slid down, dangling around her neck like a bizarre necklace. 

_Can't make a fireball, but I can get his attention another way!_ Yells from behind her spurred her onwards, and she tried to speed up as she twisted her hands around so her fingers pointed at the sky, her breath coming in rasping gasps as her bonds tightened against her still tender ribs. "_Light which burns beyond crimson flame! Gather to my hand and become my power! Lighting!_" 

The sphere of bright white light flew from her hands, soaring upwards and growing in intensity until it rivalled the sun, making her loose a triumphant laugh before Mummymon tackled her to the sands, trying to pin her. "Get offa me!" 

Meanwhile, Blackwargreymon was taking his frustrations out on the warehouses, plowing through them and demolishing them, envisioning Arukenimon and Mummymon in the path of his attacks as he searched for the Stone. He was just about to loose another full-power attack when a bright light caught his attention, making him pause in mid-throw to stare at the white sphere as it flickered urgently. _That's Lashana! It has to be!_ Dropping the Terra Destroyer, he turned away from the explosion it created and leapt into the air, soaring back to where he had left the other two Digimon, hoping that the light meant that Lashana had somehow gotten free and was alright. 

It turned out that he had been half right. As he approached the dune, he spotted two forms on the sands below, a growl rumbling out of him when he saw Mummymon grappling with a still tied-up Lashana, the latter's fangs bared in a snarl as she planted a foot against the Digimon's face and tried to shove him away. 

Roaring, he dropped from the sky and landed heavily close by, distracting Mummymon as he did so, enabling the Elf to give him a solid kick in the face with both feet, sending him sprawling. Not deterred in the least by the panic in the other Digimon's eyes, he reached down and grabbed Mummymon by the throat, lifting him up and snarling into his face. "Big. Mistake." 

"....mummy!" 

"Lookout!" 

He jerked his head up at Lashana's scream, eyes widening when he saw the Jeep shoot off the top of a dune and head straight for him. Something slammed into his side then, knocking him over and making him loose his grip on Mummymon, leaving the Digimon to land on the hood of the car while he tumbled to the sands. Snarling as he rose to his knees and glared at the retreating Jeep, he was moments away from giving chase when he remembered Lashana, his gaze darting around him before settling on the Elf that was lying on her back next to him, her eyes clenched shut as she gasped for breath. "Lashana?" 

"What... the hell... took you... so long?" she gasped, cracking an eye open to look at him as a weak smirk spread over her lips. 

Growling in worry, he slammed the blades of both gauntlets into the ground and freed his arms from them, leaving the Destroyers there as he quickly yanked his helmet off and tossed it aside, reaching out to rip the bindings off of her. Once she was free, he lifted her to her feet and frantically looked her over, running his hands over her arms and sides as he tried to see if she was okay. "Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!" 

"I'm fine," she said hurriedly, alarmed by the tone of panic in his voice. "I'm just a little sore, that's all." 

"Oh, Goddramon, you scared me," he whispered, hauling her into his arms and resting his cheek against her hair, holding her for a long moment before frowning and pushing her away, holding her at arms length. "Are you sure you're alright?" 

When she nodded, he sighed and ran his hands over her arms, tracing the light marks that the bandages had made on her skin as they slowly faded. She closed her eyes and let him skim his hands over her sides and then up into her hair, wincing a little when he touched the bruise that was hidden by her bangs, the mark left behind from when Mummymon had knocked her cold with his gun. "It's okay. I'm fine." 

"You could have been killed," he murmured. "I can't believe I let them get to you." 

"You were a little busy fighting the giant spider at the time." 

"Still...." Sighing, he reached for his helmet and hooked it onto the waistband of his armor, pausing only long enough to don his Dramon Destroyers before gently scooping her into his arms. "Let's go somewhere safe. I think we have to talk." 

"Can you do me a favor first?" 

"Sure." 

"Follow 'em." 

"What? Why?" 

A decidedly vengeful glint appeared in her eyes. "I wanna blow their damned Jeep up. If they happen to be in it at the time, I'll consider that a bonus." 

He stared at her a moment longer before an answering grin spread over his lips, and he tightened his hold on her as he leapt into the air, soaring after the duo. "You're sure you have enough energy for an attack?" 

"Even if I don't, the sheer satisfaction of doing some damage will be worth it!" 

Chuckling, he shifted his hold on her so that he was tightly gripping her waist, carrying her so that she'd be able to feel as if she was flying on her own. A flash of sun reflecting off of metal in the distance caught his attention, and he gently prodded her with a talon before nodding in the direction of the speeding vehicle. 

Lashana cackled. 

~*~ 

"But Arukenimon! It wasn't my fault!" 

"Shut up! You should have been able to handle one measly human! I swear Mummymon, there are days where I think Goddramon's punishing me by sticking you with me! This is one of them!" 

"But darling--" 

"And don't call me that!" 

"Yo! Bitches!" 

"Huh?" The two Digimon paused their bickering and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. A familiar shadow on the sands behind the Jeep made them look up at the Mega that was flying over them, the Elf that he was holding securely in his arms grinning like a maniac as she gathered blood red energy in her hands. "Oh no...." 

"Payback time! _Darkness beyond all twilight..._" 

Arukenimon whacked Mummymon. "Drive faster!! _Faster!_" 

"..._Crimson beyond blood that flows..._" 

"I am! The pedal's to the metal!" 

"_...buried in the flow of time..._" 

"Then shoot them!!" 

"_...in thy great name I pledge myself to Darkness..._" 

"I can't shoot and drive at the same time!" 

"_...let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!!_" 

The two Digimon gulped and exchanged glances before they threw themselves out of the moving Jeep, crying out in terror as they tumbled down the side of a dune. 

"_Dragon Slave!!_" 

Blackwargreymon narrowed his eyes as the explosion envelloped a huge expanse of the desert below them, privately awed by the power she seemed to effortlessly conjure as he turned his gaze back towards the Jeep, grinning when the only evidence he saw of it was a flaming tire that was wobbling down the lee of a dune. 

"There!" Lashana beamed as she cheerfully waved down at the cursing and screaming duo below them. "_Now_, we can go relax." 

~*~ 

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Blackwargreymon rumbled to her as he alighted next a small stream twenty minutes later, taking a moment to make sure they were alone before setting her on her feet. 

"Emmensely!" Grinning, she threw herself down into the ferns and stretched out on her back, staring up at the tree canopies above them as she laced her fingers behind her head. "What? You didn't?" 

He chuckled and shook his head. "I didn't say that." 

"Mmhm. So, what's bothering you then?" 

"Nothing." 

"Don't make me go through the list of your tells again." 

Chuckling weakly despite himself, he removed his gauntlets and dropped them to the ground before sitting so that he was leaning back against a tree, just a little ways to the left of her. "I'm just relieved that you're alright. Speaking of which, come closer, would you?" 

Ignoring the stiffness in almost her entire body, she oblidgingly sat up and scooted over to sit by his side, listening to his soft rumble as he draped his right arm around her, letting her rest her head against his chest. She smiled slightly as he rubbed his hand over her back, his continuous rumbling relaxing her as he pulled her a little closer and securely tucked her under his arm, nestling her against his side. "Turning protective already?" 

"Maybe just a little," he replied, smiling down at her. "Besides, you're lying about being okay." When it looked like she was going to protest, he grinned at her and playfully tugged at a lock of her hair. "Want me to point out your tells?" 

"I don't have any tells." 

"Ah, you have one that you can't hide." 

"Oh?" 

"Your scent." 

"....what?" 

"I... uh... memorised your scent... after the nightmare," he muttered in embarrassment, avoiding her surprised gaze when she looked up at him. "Anyway, I can tell that you're hurting. And you've got a cut somewhere too, because you're bleeding." Still not looking at her, he mustered his courage and blurted out what had been bothering him for the past day. "I did a lot of thinking.... during the time that Arukenimon and Mummymon had you." 

Not knowing where he was going with this, as she sat up a little straighter and looked at him worriedly, frowning when he refused to meet her gaze and instead chose to stare up at the sunlight that was streaming through the leaves. 

"I.... I do consider you a friend, Lashana. My first and only....maybe more, I don't know. All I know is that I have never felt so afraid before in my life. I would have destroyed the Digiworld itself to get you back, do you know that?" He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree, the fingers of his left hand digging into the ground as he fought to keep his emotions under a semblance of control. "I.... I know that I can't stay here anymore. This world holds nothing for me.... but I.... I want to protect you, I want to keep you safe.... I don't want to lose you...." 

"....I'd miss you too." 

Startled, he turned his head to look at her, rumbling softly as he met her gaze. "Then what do we do?" 

"I don't know," she admitted, glancing away. "Telca an I are just sorceresses 'in-training', until one of us gets the hang of the portals we're basically confined to our own dimension. And the Real World isn't exactly the most inviting place for non-humans to live, trust me. I have to put a spell on myself every time I leave the apartment so no one notices that I'm half-Elf." 

He sighed and ducked his head down to tenderly nuzzle her cheek. "I don't care about the humans. Tell me what you want." 

"I can't." 

"Why?" 

"It wouldn't be fair to you. My apartment isn't exactly spacious." 

"You haven't seen some of the caves I've taken shelter in." 

"You wouldn't be able to go out in the daylight." 

"I can content myself with going out at night. And before you think of another excuse, I can live on very little food and I'll even sleep on the floor if I have to." Moving carefully, he hooked a talon under her chin and rose her head so that he could meet her gaze. "Let me come with you." 

"....alright." She paused and lowered her gaze, chuckling as she shook her head slightly. "Telca's gonna have a fit." 

Grinning, he slid both arms around her and gave her a gentle hug, sighing contentedly as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Let her." 

"Hmpft. Easy for you to say, you won't be the one she'll be yelling at!" 

"_LASHANAAAA!!!_" 

"See?" 

Blackwargreymon gulped a little as the scream echoed around them and looked up at the glowing doorway that had appeared in the air in front of them, glancing at the Elf nervously when she pulled away and got to her feet. "Lashana...." he hesitantly rose and grabbed at his Dramon Destroyers and helmet, hooking the latter onto the waistband of his armor again as he moved to her side, suddenly unsure. 

Smiling, the Elf stepped into the portal, then paused and turned to hold a hand out to him. "You coming, or am I going to have a celebratory fudge sundae all on my own?"   
  
  
  
  



	12. Story's End

_Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us._   
  
  


The Elf and The Digimon

Chapter 11: Story's End (aka Romantics at Heart.... Or Not)   
  
  
  


"So, I take it he went then, hmm?" Kadrith chuckled, shooting the blushing Digimon a knowing look. 

"Oh yeah, he came." The Elf grinned and glanced at her Bonded. "And spent his first hour there out cold." 

Wolverine smirked. "Lemme guess. Telca?" 

"Bingo!" 

"It wasn't _my_ fault," Telca protested from her place in Remy's arms. "I thought he was gonna kill her! I mean really, here I am, just managing to find Elfy after three days of freaking out, and there's this huge armored-turtle-thing following her!" 

"I. Am. Not. A. Turtle." 

"Geez," Duncan muttered from where he was sitting on a chair. "I always wondered how you two got together, but that was.... well, unexpected." 

There was a low chuckle from the quetzacoatl as he extended his tail to gently nudge the Elf in the ribs. "You have to find less tramatizing ways to meet people, mi amiga." 

She shrugged. "Makes it memorable at least." 

"Very," Blackwargreymon chuckled, tightening his hold on her and gently nuzzling her cheek. "Very memorable." 

~I have to admit.... There were times where I didn't believe that you knew what it meant to be alone,~ Mewtwo whispered to the Digimon, meeting his gaze apologetically. ~I never knew that your past had been that hard. But to live like that.... You're lucky she found you when she did.~ 

"I know. Trust me, I know." 

"So, is there any more to this?" Tvashtar asked, sending a curious glance at the Bonded pair. "I've seen your apartment my kelestra, it must have been cramped. How long did you two end up living together?" 

"What was it?" Lashana murmured to Black. "Almost two months before Telca mastered the portals? And then another three until I mastered that Gods-awful teleportation spell?" 

That caught Kang's attention. "Teleportation? You never told me about that?" 

"You wouldn't want to try it," Black rumbled. "Everytime she used it, it knocked her cold. Took her an hour to recover every single time." 

"Needless to say, it's not one of my favorites. Especially that time I used it and accidentally teleported us to Wolf Pack Island." 

"Wolf Pack...." Zegadis trailed off in horror. "But that's where...." 

"The Beastmaster and Xellos live. Yes. Imagine my absolute horror when I woke up and saw _that_ waiting for me," Lashana said drily, leaning against Black as he cuddled her close. "Lucky for us, I had learned a few handy Astral Plane spells by then." 

"Finish one story before you start another," Nightcrawler protested. 

"Right." Blackwargreymon wrapped his arms around Lashana's waist and casually laced his fingers together. "So, like we said, Telca gave me a.... 'memorable greeting'..... and once I came to and made sure that I wasn't brain damaged..." 

"How would we know the difference?" 

"Shut. Up. Kang. Anyway, it took a little while for us to sort things out. Even longer for us to work out a safe routine so that we could spend time together while not running the risk of being discovered. It was hard at first, especially since 'Shana still had to juggle work and paying the bills and all that lovely horror, but somehow - and I still don't know how - we worked it out. A year later she and Telca started the Harem." 

"You slept on the floor, didn't you?" Nightcrawler smirked. 

Lashana chuckled and draped her arms around her Bonded's neck. "Actually we both did. I hauled the mattress off the bed and onto the floor. It was a double sized mattress, so it was just barely big enough for the two of us." 

"S'true, I woke them up one morning when I let myself in. Damn near beat him senseless again," Telca smirked. 

"'Let yourself in'?" Tvashtar repeated, looking at her curiously. 

"Well I had a key to her apartment of course! We exchanged keys a while ago since we visited each other at least twice a week. Saved each of us from having to fight with the various security locks of the apartment buildings." She paused and let a grin spread over her lips. "Not that they were a problem to begin with of course, but the management get edgy when they keep finding the locks melted off the doors." 

"Imagine that," Kadrith muttered drily, rolling his eyes as he looked away from his Avatar. "So that's the whole story, huh?" 

"Yes," Black chuckled. "Have we satisfied your nosy and gossipy streak now, or would you like us to make something up for you?" 

"Hmpft! I do not gossip!" 

"Oh, yeah? What was Duncan doing last night?" 

"He went out drinking with Wolvie in the hopes that they could pick up women.... oh crap." 

"Thanks a lot ya overgrown gecko." Wolverine growled, avoiding the two sorceresses gazes when they looked at him in annoyance, figiting under their stares until they turned their attention to Duncan, who yelped and dove under the pool table. "Uh.... Hey! I fergot about tha game!" 

Telca pursed her lips a little as she watched the feral bolt from the room, a grinning Duncan hot on his heels. "Remy, remind me to do something about them later, okay?" 

"Sure thing, chere. In de meantime, thou'..." He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist he stood, pulling her up against his chest as he did so. "Remy gonna give his chere a little treat." 

"Oh?" 

"Oui, petit. A dinner an a movie, an den a little..." He leaned closer and whispered into his sorceress' ear, grinning when she blushed. 

~Bleh.~ Mewtwo mimed gagging himself as he gathered the three sleeping dragons off of Malcho. ~I'll be in the kitchen, assuming this sight hasn't completely destroyed my appetite.~ 

"Well, we know that most of the Harem aren't romantics at heart," Lashana muttered as she looked at the numerous clouds of dust left behind by the rapidly retreating Harem, pausing to lightly smack her chuckling Digimon before looking back over to the other couple nearby. 

"Ungrateful bastards, the whole lot of them," Telca agreed, glaring after them for a moment before beaming at her Cajun. "But enough about them! I believe you said something about a date?"   
  
  
  
  


Epilogue coming soon!!


	13. Epilogue

_Lashana owns only herself, her dragons, Telca, Tvashtar and Kadrith._

_The song is 'All you wanted' by Michelle Branch_   
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T-Rex: UGH!! In the future, control thy alter-ego, else I'll be forced to put him out of our misery! *grimaces and goes to clean her eyes with S.O.S pads* 

Sparda219: *hehe* Try three or four vacuums. It's a fluffy songfic *hehe* 

DigiDayDreamer: Yes, yay, the epilogue! ^_^   
  


Caution! Beware of fluffy songfic!! ^_^   
  
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The Elf and the Digimon - Epilogue   
  


Her voice rose with the lyrics of the song, blending perfectly with the music as she sang along, comfortably stretched out on her back on the couch, glad that she had managed to aquire one of the small spare rooms that had a stereo system. It had been awhile since she had managed to take some time to just relax, and she was taking full advantage of it now. The lights were dimmed almost to the point of being off, most of the light coming from the dozens of candles that she had placed around the room, the scent of lavender coming from the incense stick that was slowly burning nearby, wisps of the scented smoke dancing around the flickering candle flames. 

It was perfect. The ultimate stress relief, and she smiled to herself as she laced her fingers behind her head and started on the next stanza, closing her eyes so that all she could focus on was the scent of lavender and the lyrics of the song. 

"Lashana?" 

Startled, she yelped and bolted upright at the call, inwardly chastising herself for not paying attention. She had gotten caught up in the CD she had been listening to, a dangerous thing to do when one lived in the Palace, who knew what tricks she could have been caught up in. _Especially since Kang and Kadrith are having that prank war. _Frowning, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes and blinked up at her Bonded. "Black? Heyla, what's up?" 

"Oh, I was just looking for a little company," he smiled as he closed the door behind him and vaulted over the back of the couch, landing in front of it so that he could look down at her fully. Rumbling softly, he scooped her into his arms and sat down on the couch, setting her next to him so that she was leaning back against his side, his right arm draped over her. "You certainly know how to relax, I'll give you that. It's so peaceful in here. A complete contrast to what's going on out there." 

"Let me guess? Kang and 'Rith?" 

"Mmhm. They brought out the Super Soakers." 

"Oh dear. Telca's not going to be happy when she and Remy get home." 

"I'm not so sure about that. Kadrith's kicking draconian tail." 

She chuckled at that and turned her head so that she could rest her cheek against his bare chest, smiling when he shifted so that he could rub his chin on the top of her head. "So, why did you track me down? Really?" 

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he grinned, pulling back to look down at her in amusement. "If you must know, I just wanted to have you close. Retelling that story on how we met.... it brought up some bad memories." Her right hand reached out to grasp his left, and he smiled as he closed his fingers over hers, resting his cheek on the top of her head as he let his gaze travel over the room and the candles that flickered all around them. 

The CD changed tracks then, and he closed his eyes for a moment as he listened to the lyrics, gasping when he recognised the tune of the music. It was the same song she had hummed to him all those years ago, when she had held him after his nightmares. He had never known what song it was... 

_I wanted to be like you_   
_I wanted everything_   
_So I tried to be like you_   
_And I got swept away_

"Lashana.... this.... this is--" 

"Shh." She shifted so that she could slide her arms around his middle and rested her head over his heart. "I would have told you then, what the lyrics were, but I was afraid that it'd be too much too fast. After.... I suppose it just never came up again." 

"Too much? I don't understand." 

"Listen." 

_I didn't know that it was so cold_   
_And you needed someone_   
_to show you the way_   
_So I took your hand and we figured out_   
_That when the tide comes_   
_I'd take you away_

Blackwargreymon shivered a little, remembering how she had looked at him while she had hummed that same stanza, only then he hadn't known the words to the song, or why she looked at him with such tenderness. He swallowed to try to get the lump out of his throat and looked down at her, this person that had seen him as more than even he realised he was. Even now, she was still the only one who fully understood him, who knew when he needed company and when it was best to leave him be, even when he himself didn't know what he wanted. 

Closing his eyes, he reached for her, for his Bonded, and pulled her into his arms, setting her down so that she was sitting sideways on his lap, her head pillowed against his right shoulder. It always felt so perfect to hold her like this, feeling her breath tickle the side of his neck as her hair cascaded down over his arm, her hands lightly pressed against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. 

She started humming then, along with the chorus, a sound that he recognised. She had hummed that chorus over and over to him, and it had given him more comfort than the rest of the song had, and he only now heard the actual words to it, the discovery making him snap his eyes open in sheer surprise. 

_If you want to_   
_I can save you_   
_I can take you away from here_   
_So lonely inside_   
_So busy out there_   
_And all you wanted_   
_was somebody who cares_

"....'Shana...." His voice cracked, and he didn't bother trying to speak again as he wrapped his arms tighter around her and buried his face in her hair, shivering when she rose her arms to encirlce his neck, her fingers lightly working the constant tangles out of his tousled hair. _She knew. She knew all along. What I wanted, what I felt.... how?_

{Because,} she sent, feeling him jump a little as she used the Bond to send her thoughts to him, knowing that he hadn't realised that he had been sending to her. {Because.... I was the same way.} 

He frowned and rose his head to look at her, whispering over the music. "Once. You went through the same thing before you met me. I remember you telling me that." 

"No. I was just adept at hiding it." 

_I'm sinking slowly_   
_So hurry hold me_   
_Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on_   
_Please can you tell me_   
_So I can finally see_   
_Where you go when you're gone_

His eyes widened at the implications of what she had just told him. That, and the combined lyrics of the song, suddenly made him realise that he hadn't been the only one looking for someone, all those years ago. They had found each other, right when everything had seemed.... hopeless. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"You had enough problems of your own, don't you think?" 

"That's not what I meant. Why only tell me now?" 

"I suppose that I just.... forgot about it," she shrugged, smirking when she saw him frown at her. "Not 'forgot to tell you', love. Just that.... it wasn't important anymore. It didn't exist. I wasn't alone anymore." 

"You had Telca before you met me." 

"Just because she's my best-friend doesn't mean that I'll tell her _everything._ I kept it hidden from her too. No one knew, Black. No one. Besides, I didn't want another friend, I wanted...." 

_If you want to_   
_I can save you_   
_I can take you away from here_   
_So lonely inside_   
_So busy out there_   
_And all you wanted_   
_was somebody who cares_

She smiled slightly as the lyrics echoed through her and met his gaze, reaching up to trail her fingers over his left cheek. "....I wanted someone I could fall in love with. I wanted my Soul-Bonded." 

_All you wanted was somebody who cares_   
_If you need me you know I'll be there_

"I wanted to be safe, to be held and loved and understood, to have someone see me as I am, and not as a half-blood.... to always have someone there when I needed them, even it it was just to know that I wasn't alone. And when I found you, I found what I had been looking for, and then all the pain didn't matter anymore.... because I had you." 

_If you want to_   
_I can save you_   
_I can take you away from here_   
_So lonely inside_   
_So busy out there_   
_And all you wanted_   
_was somebody who cares_

Fighting back tears, he rose a hand to lift hers away from his face and gently nuzzled the palm of it, closing his eyes when she carefully pulled free and hugged him, letting him rub his cheek against the side of her head as he purred softly. "My Bonded.... I love you. I'll always love you, I could never stop, never, my angel, never...." 

Lashana shivered and melted into his embrace, gasping when he lifted her and turned her so that she was straddling his lap. "Black... we can't..." Her protest was weak even to her ears, not that she was trying very hard to get away as she leaned forward and kissed him, feeling his hands rub over her back. _We're setting ourselves up for a rather annoying letdown._

A low chuckle left him as he used their Bond to pick up on her thoughts, moving a hand forward to lift the hem of her tank-top. {How do we know? We've never actually tried.} 

The door slammed open then, a drenched Nightcrawler running into the room and ducking behind a wall as the duo of Kang and Kadrith sprinted past the open door and down the hallway, alternating between trying to avoid the blasts of water from their Super-Soakers and lobbing ice spells at each other. 

Nightcrawler heaved a sigh of relief once he was sure that he was out of the line of fire, then blinked when he saw the couple on the couch, his eyes widening at the look of sheer annoyance that Blackwargreymon was sending him while Lashana simply blushed a bright crimson and frantically tried to rearrange her shirt as she wriggled off of the Digimon's lap. 

Grinning, the teen backed out of the room and took a deep breath as he bolted down the hallway, yelling out at the top of his lungs as the couple frantically scrambled after him, trying to stop him. "Hey Guys!! Blackie finally got past third base!!!" 

Blackwargreymon twiched as he skidded to a stop and reached out to grab Lashana, trying to save her from certain pain as he covered her ears with his hands while he took a deep breath, his following roar shaking the very Palace down to it's foudations and drowning out the cat-calls and whistles that were answering the teenager's announcement. "**_NIGHTCRAWLER!!!! _YOU ARE SO DEAD!!!**"   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
